The Pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando profoundly affected the LGBTQ+ community and brought renewed urgency to the complicated relationship many queer people have with the Second Amendment. Following the example of the Pink Panther Patrol, established in 1990, and the growth of grassroots organizations such as the Pink Pistols, a visible community of LGBTQ+ firearm owners began organizing for education, mutual support, and self-defense.

Concealed presents portraits of LGBTQ+ gun owners from across the United States, representing a wide range of ages, races, and gender identities. Because LGBTQ+ people have traditionally been viewed as politically liberal and stereotypically nonviolent, I wanted to understand the experiences of those who had chosen to own firearms. Through social media and personal connections, I photographed members of the community in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Birmingham, Seattle, and, more recently in 2026, the Pacific Northwest.

The series began in 2017 in response to the Pulse nightclub massacre. Nearly a decade later, with escalating attacks against LGBTQ+ people and a noticeable increase in firearm ownership within the community, I felt it was important to return to the project and expand it with new portraits. Shortly after completing these latest portraits, an attack during Christopher Street Day in Berlin—where one person was killed and 29 others were injured—again underscored the vulnerability of LGBTQ+ communities around the world. It is deeply saddening, frustrating, and infuriating that these tragedies continue to occur.

My intention has always been to create honest, direct portraits in which the firearm is only one element of a much larger story. I have been careful not to let the weapon overwhelm the individual, instead allowing each sitter's presence, dignity, and complexity to remain at the center of the photograph. These are not portraits about guns alone; they are portraits about identity, security, fear, resilience, and the difficult choices people make when they feel their safety is uncertain.

I recognize that images of firearms are inherently polarizing. Rather than argue for or against gun ownership, Concealed seeks to encourage thoughtful dialogue around one of the most complicated issues facing contemporary America. I remain most interested in what a gun—a symbol of both power and violence—comes to mean when it is held by those who have historically been marginalized, threatened, and denied a sense of safety.
‍
AWARDS
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2021
Lens Culture Critic Choice Award
‍Concealed: Portraits of LGBT Gun Owners

2019
Audience Choice Award International Pride Awards, Amsterdam, Holland
Concealed: Portraits of LGBT Gun Owners

2019
International Pride Awards, Amsterdam, Holland Special Projects Winner
Concealed: Portraits of LGBT Gun Owners

2018
American Photography AP34 Winner
Tara, Las Vegas, NV 2017 from Concealed: Portraits of LGBT Gun Owners

EXHIBITIONS

2020
Concealed: Portraits of LGBT Gun Owners 2017-2018 International Pride Awards, Sau Paulo, Brazil

2019
Concealed: Portraits of LGBT Gun Owners 2017-2018 International Pride Awards, Amsterdam, Holland