Out and About

Print Photo Book, Exhibited June 2023 at UCLA Broad Art Center

Queer nightlife — including gay bars, disco clubs and drag shows — creates important spaces for queer people to build community and celebrate each other throughout history. The nocturnal scenes provide the community safety that can be threatened in daylight. But beyond the underground gatherings, sober-friendly events nowadays offer more options for LGBTQ+ individuals from diverse backgrounds, interests and abilities to spend time with each other. The print photo book “Out and About” documents five sober-friendly queer events in Los Angeles after the COVID-19 lockdown, including an art market, a flea market, a garden, a risoprint workshop and a poetry reading. The project recounts organizers' goals and calls from participants — especially women, gender-expansive people, and BIPOC individuals — for more inclusive gatherings. Archiving these narratives, I hope to inspire readers who, like me, once craved inclusive queer spaces to branch out and find their community.