A VISUAL ESSAY ON THE IMPORTANCE AND BEAUTY OF FRIENDSHIPS WITHIN THE LGBTQIA+ COMMUNITY
For the QUEER PLATONIC project, Sophia Emmerich and Lisa Kempke photographed queer friends and interviewd them about their realtionships, about what makes queer friendships special, why they are important and what can be learned from them. They also wanted to know what straight people should know about queer friendships.
The series is ongoing and will be continued.
QUEER FRIENDSHIPS
ARE SPECIAL.
Friendships within all minorities are strengthened by a level that normative relationships simply do not need. Discrimination welds together, whether it is homophobia, transphobia, sexism, or racism. Queer people experience discrimination and exclusion, not only from the outside. The first encounter many have to endure in the Inner Circle - their own family. There is a reason that queers often speak of ”the family you choose“ when it comes to their friends. Queer friendships are special.
ONE THEORY. 14 TIMES THE PROOF.
MIA & DENNIS
FRIENDS FOR 12 YEARS
Mia: she/her (bi) @mialisamarie
Dennis: he/him (gay) @spazecowboy
BERLIN
“Non-queer people do not have to grapple with the fact that your sexual identity is relevant to your overall identity.”
– Mia
TATUM & ANICK
FRIENDS FOR 4 YEARS
Tatum: they/she (pansexual) @tatumkarmen
Anick: he/him (bisexual) @anickwrites
LONDON
„I believe that our friendships are the most powerful partnerships that we will ever have. You don‘t always need to chase romance.“
– Tatum
CHAR & RICO
FRIENDS FOR 3 YEARS
Char: she/her/them (lesbian) @char_bailey_
Rico: he/him (straight) @rjchace
LONDON
„What makes our friendship special is that we are not the same, we occupy different parts of the LGBTQA+ alphabet – but we are allies to each other; always.“
– Char
LEO & AXEL
FRIENDS FOR 3 YEARS
Leo: he/him they/them (gay) @leolovesredroses
Axel: they/them (pan) @ashus2ashus
BERLIN
„It‘s especially important to have queer friends, when it comes to solidarity and connectedness. We can learn a lot from each other and provide a new family.“
– Axel
DON, DANIEL, PEER
FRIENDS FOR 4-EVER
Don: he/she/they (gay) @don_aretino
Daniel: he/she/they (golden gay) @daneglau
Peer: he/she/they (fluid) @lie__ning
„Those two are my family. The family that I have chosen.“
– Peer
BERLIN
MIMI & MAKAI
FRIENDS FOR 1 YEAR
Mimi: she/der (queer/pan) @mimiscardulla
Makai: he/him (queer/pan) @this.guy.makai
NEW YORK CITY
„I think non-queer people would be surprised about the amount of awareness we have for one other, especially when you are queer presenting – we are protecting each other any second of any day.“
– Mimi
ALICIA & YAZ
FRIENDS FOR 16 YEARS
Alicia: she/her (queer) @aliciabaylis
Rico: she/her-ish (queer) @bigblackbutchbitch
LONDON
„Through our shared experience we get each other, we understand how
it is to be different in this world – and I think that makes our queer friendships so special.“
– Yaz
LUKAS & SIMON
FRIENDS FOR 5 YEARS
Lukas: he/him (queer) @lukasdot
Simon: he/him (schwul) @some_simon
HANNOVER
„Within queer friendships, there are processes of negotiation about the extent to which one shapes closeness. Does it have to be purely platonic or do you also allow for a tenderness that non-queer people perceive as a classical relationship?“
– Lukas
JUDE & LIZ
FRIENDS FOR 6 YEARS
Jude: they/them (queer) @becomingjude
Liz: she/her (demisexual) @lizridgwayfitness
LONDON
„I think what non queer people would suprise about queer friendships is our ability to believe and acknowledge our friends when they tell us who
they are.“
– Liz
SOPHIE & TRISTAN
FRIENDS FOR 3,5 YEARS
Sophie: they/them (queer) @sophiekietzman
Tristan: she/her (lesbian) @trisbus_trisgram
NEW YORK CITY
„I think the unspoken solidarity that you automatically have with other queer people is hard to explain if you haven’t experienced it firsthand.“
– Sophie
ROBIN & MISS IVANKA T.
FRIENDS FOR 5 YEARS
Miss Ivanka T.: she/her (queer) @miss.ivanka.t
Robin: he/him (gay) @robinsolf
BERLIN
„Sometimes queerness feels like some kind of religion to me that unites us all. Having the same sexuality automatically connects you so much.“
– Robin
SHIRAZ & SABINE
FRIENDS FOR 2 YEARS
Shiraz: they/them (gay) @shirazkook
Sabine: she/her (pansexual) @sabinekhabiri
LONDON
„There are so many things we have to battle in our society – we can help each other to free ourselves from that. And of course it helps that we as queer people go through similar experiences.“
– Sabine
ANDRÉ & AARON
FRIENDS FOR 3 YEARS
André: he/him (gay) @powerkroate030
Aaron: he/him (gay) @mr.colalight
„What was – among other things – a love affair eventually developed into
a friendship.“
– André
BERLIN
SUZIE & JULES
FRIENDS FOR 10 YEARS
Suzie: she/her (bisexual, homoromantic) @suziegrime
Jules: they/them (queer) @julesleftthechat_
„I do believe that it makes
a difference whether the person you‘re talking
to about your queer relationship is also queer
or not. I just can be myself when I am around you.“
– Jules
BERLIN