Snapshots of Pride Across Time

This post is sponsored by HBO and Gentleman Jack.

Sometimes it’s impossible not to marvel at how far we’ve come in the past 50 years; sometimes it feels like nothing has changed at all. That last feeling is bittersweet; it’s incredibly painful to still be struggling with the same inequalities and dangers that our predecessors did, and it’s indescribably affirming to look to the previous generation and see ourselves, our relationships and style and humor and fierce resolution. This series was an opportunity to honor our queer history by recreating iconic pride photographs through a modern lens, making explicit the connection between the past and the present that forms the living legacy we’re all a part of.

We began this project by choosing images from historic LGBTQ protests and pride parades that incorporated a message or captured an energy we thought might be interesting to reimagine. We were able to recruit queer folks online who were excited to participate. Mika, our wardrobe stylist and Autostraddle’s resident style expert, sourced updated versions of the looks in the original photographs. Our production designer Mauricio skillfully replicated the original signs, posters, banners and props in each photograph. We found a shooting location with similar textures to a lot of our images, which heavily feature New York City brick and industrial-looking backdrops.

The day of our shoot, we had 17 subjects come in from all over Southern California. Each of them was fitted for wardrobe and put into quick hair and makeup with our talented stylist Marla Verdugo. While each person was in wardrobe, our camera team would scout, set up and photograph each of the 9 images we wanted to recreate. Special thank you to Sara Tollefson and Selina Ruthe for assisting me with this and climbing many stairs and hauling equipment. I was slightly concerned about staging images created at a crowded event in a controlled setting but we talked through what elements and tone we wanted to convey in each image and I’m so happy with the results!

We want to thank our entirely LGBTQ cast and our amazing crew for their participation in this series. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Photo by Diana Davies, courtesy of The New York Public Library. “Gay rights demonstration, Albany, New York, 1971 [80]” Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library.The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1971.

Photo: Robin Roemer, Photographer/Producer Model: Courtney Coles

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Christopher Street West, West Hollywood July 21, 1981 Photographer Unknown. Courtesy of the ONE Archives at the USC Libraries (CSW collection: 2012-135)

Photo: Robin Roemer, Photographer/Producer Models: Adam Ceja, Mauricio Abud Friederichsen, Rosa Linares, Selina Ruthe

Photo by Diana Davies, courtesy of The New York Public Library. “Gay rights demonstration, Albany, New York, 1971 [57]” Manuscripts and Archives Division, *The New York Public Library Digital Collections*. 1971.

Marsha P Johnson (left) and Sylvia Rivera (right) lead the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) contingent, Christopher Street Liberation Day NYC June 24, 1973, Photo by Leonard Fink. Via The LGBT Community Center National History Archive (Fink collection: 24-03)

Photo: Robin Roemer, Photographer/Producer Models: Faithlynn Blak, Freya Martinez

Photo by Diana Davies, courtesy of The New York Public Library. “Three members of Lavender Menace at the Second Congress to Unite Women, New York, 1970 May” Manuscripts and Archives Division, *The New York Public Library Digital Collections*. 1970.

Photo: Robin Roemer, Photographer/Producer Models: Dened Rey, Drew Gregory, Aurora Berger

Photo by Diana Davies, The New York Public Library. Weinstein Hall demonstrations, NYC Oct 1970, Manuscripts and Archives Division, the NY Public Library

Photo: Robin Roemer, Photographer/Producer Model: Dened Rey

Coalition Against Racism, Anti-Semitism, Sexism and Heterosexism (CRASH) protests the Family Protection Act July 1981 Photo by Richard C. Wandel courtesy of The LGBT Community Center National History Archive (Wandel collection 4a-007)

Photo: Robin Roemer, Photographer/Producer Model: Gini Benson

ACT UP at the National Institutes of Health, 1990
Photo by Donna Binder

Photo: Robin Roemer, Photographer/Producer Models: Mitch Monroy, Audrey Hollis, Eva Gonzalez-Ruskiewicz, Angela Glanzer

Photo by Diana Davies, courtesy of The New York Public Library. “Donna Gottschalk holds poster “I am your worst fear I am your best fantasy” at Christopher Street Gay Liberation Day parade, 1970″ Manuscripts and Archives Division. *The New York Public Library Digital Collections*. 1970.

Photo: Robin Roemer, Photographer/Producer Model: Brenda Bowers

Boston Bisexual Women’s Network members (including Robyn Ochs, second from right) Christopher Street Liberation Day, NYC June 26, 1983. Photographer unknown. Courtesy of the Lesbian Herstory Archives (Instagram: @lesbianherstoryarchives)

Many of our images can be found in the book We Are Everywhere: Protest Power, and Pride in the History of Queer Liberation, by Matthew Reimer & Leighton Brown

Robin Roemer, Photographer/Producer

Creative Team:
Wardrobe Styling: Mika Gael Albornoz
Production Design: Mauricio Abud Friederichsen
Hair and Makeup: Marla Verdugo
First Assistant: Sara Tollefson
Second Assistant: Selina Ruthe

Models:
Valerie Lohman
Juan Paolo V. Moraga (JP)
Talia Candle
Adam Ceja
Rosa Linares
Courtney Coles
Freya Martinez
Faithlynn Blak
Aurora Berger
Dened Rey
Bre Ulrich
Gini Benson
Brenda Bowers
Audrey Hollis Mitch Monroy
Eva Gonzalez-Ruskiewicz
Angela Glanzer
Drew Gregory