Veme: Queering Phoenix is a multidisciplinary photographic project designed to shed light and bring awareness to the experiences of queer youth of color in Phoenix, Arizona. Through the power of stories and portraits, the project explored the myriad ways race and queerness interact with one another, influencing the experiences of those who live at their intersection. Often times excluded from the mainstream culture, Veme: Queering Phoenix focused on these queer youth of color and the complex ways their multiple identities interact to create their individual modes of self-expression and personal understanding. Veme stands in opposition and in protest to the predominantly white and heteronormative image media representations that have popularized queer youth of color.
Excerpt from Velásquez, Elsa Bea. 2016. “Artist’s Statement: Veme Queering Phoenix: Queer Identity in Metropolitan Phoenix.” Journal of Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social 15(2): 20-21.
