Years ago, a mother of a gender non-conforming child in a rural area in the United States organised a small summer camp where her child and children of three other families could openly wear the clothes they want and be who they are. Their siblings realised that they were not the only ones whose brothers (almost all campers were assigned male at birth) wanted to be princesses and the parents found support. More families started going to the camp. The organisers insisted on avoiding advertising and kept long interviews with families interested in participating since they did not want to attract anti-queer trolls. The camp closed in 2016. Today, there are dozens of camps in the U.S. and many of the campers are young adults (via and via).
Lindsay Morris was one of the parents. She took her child, Milo, then aged seven, there and spent eight years photographing the summer camp.
These kids didn’t believe that other kids like themselves even existed. It still gives me chills thinking about [these kids] meeting each other for the first time. They were all so similar, all so alike in what they loved — and the parents just cried and cried.
Lindsay Morris
I came to this project not just as a documenter, but as a participant. When my son was three years old, we began to notice his fascination with his reflection, teetering in my heels, the higher the heel the brighter he shone. It was through observing him as he anxiously and joyously layered on and tore off bright fabrics, all the while despairing that he was not born a girl, that I began to seek out other families with like-minded children. This resulted in my deeply personal engagement with this pioneering community.
Lindsay Morris
"It's really just a very safe place for them where they don't have to look over their shoulders and where they're experiencing 100 percent support from their family members and siblings. It's very important to us that the siblings attend camp so that they can see their brother or sister being celebrated. (...)
(Asked about anxieties parents have) I think the biggest concern is bullying at school. Often the children might be excluded from activities—especially sleepovers and birthday parties—because the other parents aren't really open to having a child who is atypical in their midst. That's why the parents of these kids have become the most incredible advocates. They just hope to normalize gender non-conformity.
A lot of these kids experience low-grade bullying. It creates a lot of stress and anxiety about going to school or being in public places because of the fear of being excluded. However, if the school is very progressive and keeps an open dialogue, it can be great. Schools have such power to normalize gender non-conformity; some choose to and some really push against it.
(...) The images don't really convey the wild frenzy of camp. They're more flowing and poetic while the camp is kind of a beautiful chaos. The kids are constantly changing clothes and dolls; they're like immediate kin and friends. It's very moving for the parents, most of all.
The parents spend a lot of time together and they realize it isn't just their child. But not every parent who goes there is fully on board. It's difficult, it's a transition. If you're there you're there because you love your child, they know it's a move in the right direction. I hate to say it but a lot of the fathers—especially the fathers—come in a little bit shell shocked. This is not the little boy they anticipated raising and they're doing the best they can because they want their children to have a healthy life and a healthy mental state that comes from the support of your parents."
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photographs by Lindsay Morris via and via and via and via and via
Stunning
ReplyDeleteIndeed, a beautiful project.
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