https://www.chriscckao.com/singles daily 0.75 2025-10-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1727602426280-S1LII9KCIA9DG867ITKY/image-asset.jpg Singles Ultra-processed Food: Joel Landy, 28, a participant in a National Institutes of Health study on the effects of ultra-processed diets, wakes up in a metabolic chamber on Aug. 14, 2024, in Bethesda, Maryland. for STAT News https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1727602426280-S1LII9KCIA9DG867ITKY/image-asset.jpg Singles Ultra-processed Food: Joel Landy, 28, a participant in a National Institutes of Health study on the effects of ultra-processed diets, wakes up in a metabolic chamber on Aug. 14, 2024, in Bethesda, Maryland. for STAT News https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1760579295175-8NERNU9YDWS7NVU3C3IG/KAO+001.jpg Singles Producer and songwriter Julian Giaimo plays a work in progress on guitar in his home studio in Kauneonga Lake, New York, on Oct. 11, 2025. Born in Sicily, Italy, he found music to be one of the few constants in a life of moving around. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1758431642986-LZMEMIWW382JV7E5AHWL/FLY.jpg Singles FLY, design director of the Taiwan-based clothing brand DYCTEAM, attends the opening show of Taipei Fashion Week on March 27, 2025. FLY was surrounded by models wearing the brand’s design that highlights this season’s theme of sustainable, circular fashion. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1711744502724-8I2O57CDNPWZVSUX5JPT/a3350c17-be46-4442-b278-1ab43e5c1815_rw_1920.jpg Singles Norma Gamboa, holding bundles of flowers, stands in front of the Balloons Away stall in The Original Los Angeles Flower Market on February 7, 2020, deciding which balloons to buy for her daughter’s basketball game. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1758431827579-Y1C3LPHS3T31S9YWZN1Z/Yuanlin+after+Rain.jpg Singles A plant stands still in a reflective pond within an empty, enclosed lot on June 2, 2025, after a rainy day in Yuanlin, Taiwan. The photo is part of my ongoing project, “Yuanlin.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1710809349220-R4AN55LSW7A8OXW7QNVG/OSG2+-+small.jpg Singles Attendees of the Red Nation International Film Festival, a celebration of Native American narratives in cinema, gather at the Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills following the world premiere of “On Sacred Ground” on November 12, 2022. The 85-minute film is inspired by protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline, which traverses the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1758431439082-83E8BS5HOTKHVJZKHMGY/QueerandTransUtopiaKao03.jpg Singles Drag queen Carmilla Crowe performs at “A Midsummer Wet Dream,” a Shakespearean drag show hosted in Downtown LA, on August 24, 2024. The photo is part of my photo essay, “‘Queer and Trans Utopia’: The Ritual and Reimagination of Drag.” published in Fruitslice https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1761862033534-30H951OV2FX2UC4EF13Q/image-asset.jpeg Singles A hauling truck drives past University Avenue in Syracuse, New York, on Oct. 9, 2025. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/cecc9c18-5b9a-4f80-8334-ccd9821973b2/image-asset.jpeg Singles Through one classroom window, another is framed, reflecting a building and the golden hour sky on July 12, 2025, in Syracuse, N.Y. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1710808801627-0YOW9UTNAE354K1TIY0M/image-asset.jpg Singles - UCLA academic workers joined around 48,000 academic workers across the 10 UC campuses in striking for improved working conditions and wages on Nov. 14, 2022. Protesters filled Bruin Plaza and raised s https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1760056893372-QPOJGZDA0313W6NRMX46/Yuanlin+First+Market.jpg Singles Mr. Lin, who inherited his stall in Yuanlin First Market from his parents, arranges vegetables on Dec. 19, 2020. The market was much more crowded 50 years ago, as if it were Lunar New Year every day, he recalls. Transportation was less convenient then, making the work more tiring for his mother, who took the first bus each morning from Zhushan, a town 30 miles away, to reach the market in time for business. The photo is part of my photo book, “Humans of Yuanlin First Market.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1729183158809-47ED3OCRQUZ6XJFTKKA3/pink+pony+club.jpg Singles Drag king Chase Lounge, dedicated to creating raunchy, fun, and COVID-safe drag spaces in Los Angeles that welcome transgender and lesbian audiences, performs on June 10, 2024, at “Pink Pony Club,” a show he hosts featuring an all-sapphic lineup. The photo is part of my photo essay, “‘Queer and Trans Utopia’: The Ritual and Reimagination of Drag.” published in Fruitslice https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1710884527759-DRPFXX6XTFF43GGWRDHV/iran2+-+small.jpg Singles The Iranian Student Group and the Persian fraternity at UCLA co-hosted a rally advocating for the freedom and rights of women in Iran on International Women’s Day in 2023. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1717304544331-FGSNPDUQ29IFZ9ZIKYU6/image-asset.jpeg Singles Facing law enforcement stationed down the hill, UCLA students gather on Tongva Steps to protect the pro-Palestinian encampment on May 1, 2024, the day after counter-protesters attacked the camp with fireworks, pepper spray, and metal barriers. The week-long encampment was swept by police the morning after. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1710809319704-10A3O1MW12LDI7TB7LBY/Light+Source+in+Taiwan-+Local.jpg Singles A group of people converses outside a hardware store in Yunlin, Taiwan, on April 19, 2018. The photo is part of my 2018 solo exhibition at Vicino Coffee, Taiwan, titled “Light Sources in Taiwan 臺灣的光源,” which explored the unique and everyday roles of light across the country. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1736487957242-4J5W4EIKV4BO9HFD4E1P/image-asset.jpeg Singles Three drag performers parade in Taiwan’s sixth Trans March, which attracted 2,500 attendees on October 25, 2024, the evening before the 22nd Taiwan Pride. The night began at the 228 Peace Memorial Park, where Taiwan’s first Pride was held in 2003. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1711693759078-64DYGHZV650OO1C6LJ79/Light+Source+in+Taiwan-+City.jpg Singles On a rainy day in Hsinchu City, Taiwan, neon signboards light up the road as lines of cars stop for the red light on November 3, 2017. The photo is part of my 2018 solo exhibition at Vicino Coffee, Taiwan, titled “Light Sources in Taiwan 臺灣的光源,” which explored the unique and everyday roles of light across the country. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1710808934855-EX6VQXKWVRMS3EO66B0N/Pride+in+the+Park+-+small.jpg Singles Violet Chachki, winner of the seventh season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” performs at LA Pride in the Park festival on June 10, 2023. https://www.chriscckao.com/photo-illo daily 0.75 2025-10-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1710810373694-F8US5XWWZH6G6GDYVXZI/Artboard+4.jpg Photo Illustration “Health and science are on the ballot this election. Here’s what we’re watching” for STAT News https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1710810373694-F8US5XWWZH6G6GDYVXZI/Artboard+4.jpg Photo Illustration “Health and science are on the ballot this election. Here’s what we’re watching” for STAT News https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1728991278552-VK34G9XG53J9VDPBFPWA/Xavier+Becerra+Where.jpg Photo Illustration “HHS’s Xavier Becerra, once an ‘invisible’ secretary, is racing to cement a clearer legacy” for STAT News https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1729088396020-5QOKT8X7QIZ064L6BVYD/image-asset.jpeg Photo Illustration “Is it time to freak out about bird flu?” for STAT News https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1758430836480-FBJ3PYIMZGCVGE54N1LZ/H5N1+vaccine.jpg Photo Illustration "Massive amounts of H5N1 vaccine would be needed if there’s a bird flu pandemic. Can we make enough?" for STAT News https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1710810423928-FT1UC95H7XY4JG7JA3LW/UnitedHealth+Hospitals.jpg Photo Illustration “UnitedHealth is on a buying spree of outpatient surgery centers” for STAT News https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1758430900781-43SU2PW135N31TFTKDI5/H5N1+Expert+Questions.jpg Photo Illustration "These are the bird flu questions that influenza and animal scientists desperately want answered" for STAT News https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1758430998633-NF1S2EBXC7DN826RXKU1/photo+illo+-+CRISPR+not+ok+social.jpg Photo Illustration "The CRISPR companies are not OK" for STAT News https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1710810352975-4V87LCUL67W0SKVKCMOQ/CVS+rebate.jpg Photo Illustration “As Humira biosimilars take over the market, CVS has created a new ploy: the drug ‘rebate credit’” for STAT News https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1739786632371-LG0QNSHYE1221OA6RJEF/image-asset.jpeg Photo Illustration “The perfect storm that carried RFK Jr. from fringe to center of Trump administration” for STAT News https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1731072366022-K1WWSR9VQFBMO7Q8G0A0/Trump+Win.jpg Photo Illustration “Donald Trump returns to the presidency with big ambitions to shake up health care” for STAT News https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1711747503923-AAE1HODCUOJHNUHUVRHA/COVID+vials.jpg Photo Illustration “During the pandemic, were great vaccines bad business? A company-by-company review” for STAT News https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1735567024870-1ZHCW6DO09RSV6NETNSN/photo+illo+-+Apple+Insurance+Card.jpg Photo Illustration “GOP works to square making America healthy with taking away health insurance“ for STAT News https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1717301853190-ULQV3H8HPLLSQE5FCUN7/cow+rides+vaccine.jpg Photo Illustration “When should we start making H5N1 vaccine, and who will make that decision? In short, it’s complicated” for STAT News https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1717301843304-R9OPUFPA270LRX1VBLBN/hospital+flow.jpg Photo Illustration “HCA reports almost $1 billion more in charity care to Medicare than to its shareholders, drawing more taxpayer money” for STAT News https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1742312937500-BASQ38LFUE89GICCYS4Y/image-asset.jpeg Photo Illustration “Two biotechs say they’re using AI to conjure drugs from scratch. Their documents suggest otherwise” for STAT News https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1710810405284-7ORHAB9JHQV9M9QN7LPB/Ozempic+dot+to+dot.jpg Photo Illustration “Can Wegovy treat depression as well as obesity? New research looks to GLP-1 drugs for mental illnesses” for STAT News https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1710810593576-H3IFJCNOME0BTX9XI1UM/Long+Beach+Conviction+final+-+3.jpg Photo Illustration “Did Tunnel Vision Result in a Long Beach Woman’s Wrongful Conviction?” for Knock LA https://www.chriscckao.com/sports daily 0.75 2025-09-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1718691897463-PZY1VCIU8YXNVCKP7C06/20221202+wsoc-6.jpg Sports UCLA women’s soccer midfielder Maricarmen Reyes, who scored the game-winning goal in overtime to secure the Women’s College Cup championship, tears up in a pile of confetti while sharing the news over the phone on December 5, 2022. Half an hour earlier, the Bruins had trailed 2-0 against the 21-time NCAA champion North Carolina, whose fans filled the WakeMed Soccer Park arena. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1718691897463-PZY1VCIU8YXNVCKP7C06/20221202+wsoc-6.jpg Sports UCLA women’s soccer midfielder Maricarmen Reyes, who scored the game-winning goal in overtime to secure the Women’s College Cup championship, tears up in a pile of confetti while sharing the news over the phone on December 5, 2022. Half an hour earlier, the Bruins had trailed 2-0 against the 21-time NCAA champion North Carolina, whose fans filled the WakeMed Soccer Park arena. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1710811919290-CKMUKBLPTLLK4HP0PLX0/gym.jpg Sports UCLA gymnast Emma Malabuyo warms up on the balance beam at Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles on February 11, 2023, before a match against Arizona State. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1710811920328-2AFX84J1EC8PEEZ9FFRF/bball3+-+small.jpg Sports Surrounded by Arizona players, UCLA sophomore guard Jaylen Clark eyes a loose ball during the title game of the Pac-12 Men's Basketball Tournament on March 12, 2022, at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas. The Bruins concluded the game with an 84 - 76 loss to the Wildcats. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1711059977769-0FTI13QWSSKW8PCW2Y2B/Globe07.jpg Sports UCLA outfielder Kelli Godin locks her eyes on the ball after a hit during the Bruins’ home opener against Fresno State on February 12, 2021, at Easton Stadium in Los Angeles. UCLA defeated the Bulldogs 7-0. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1710811922032-2R56EQ0GMK6TM81ISOMM/wsoc1+-+small.jpg Sports At WakeMed Soccer Park in North Carolina, goalkeeper Lauren Brzykcy hoists the trophy, surrounded by teammates, after UCLA won the national title against North Carolina in the 2022 Women’s College Cup on December 5, 2022. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1711059800498-GZCKMAUBED1JC0080CET/UCLA+vs+SDSU.jpg Sports UCLA defensive back John Humphrey and SDSU tight end Mark Redman simultaneously eye SDSU quarterback Jalen Mayden, who looks to complete a pass on September 9, 2023. The Bruins won the game 35-10 at Bashor Field in Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1758825206127-0GT47WRZ1U6ZB3FFIZMK/CuseontheQuad_Kao_001.jpg Sports Sousaphones from the Syracuse University Marching Band reflect the school’s “S” logo during Cuse on the Quad, a campus gathering before football home game kickoffs, on September 6, 2025, in Syracuse, N.Y. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1727669752807-TJ1P332ZXCAHTOPC0ELU/image-asset.jpeg Sports Splashes surround a UCLA diver as they leap into the water during practice at the Spieker Aquatics Center, preparing for the Bruins' match against Stanford on Jan. 31, 2020. https://www.chriscckao.com/sports-design daily 0.75 2024-06-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1717711681582-ZUG24ANVD4JAQCRV11RE/image-asset.jpeg Sports Design https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1717711681582-ZUG24ANVD4JAQCRV11RE/image-asset.jpeg Sports Design https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1717711878775-M1BFYJ8X93XJLOTKWXHP/olympians+-+team+USA.jpg Sports Design https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1717711906350-MCAQ061X7XUUAOKQR5C1/women-soccer-gif.gif Sports Design https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1717711998373-I94DR3YT06J93H5JFZWI/Life+of+a+Bruin+-+Draft2.jpg Sports Design https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1717712312501-GF9JO2KYVBYC47ORHBNH/Life+of+a+Bruin+Cover.jpg Sports Design https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1717712367825-OQ789YR7HRPO41BUS2UI/wyatt+2.jpg Sports Design https://www.chriscckao.com/read-me-wells daily 0.75 2024-03-19 https://www.chriscckao.com/about daily 0.75 2026-05-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/76179457-f658-4f59-9b00-fc28915e79e0/Christine+%28Chen-Ching%29+Kao.jpg About by Gregg Ordon https://www.chriscckao.com/video daily 0.75 2025-09-21 https://www.chriscckao.com/home daily 1.0 2025-09-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/c58f7f7d-11ad-45c6-8168-b2d77a6b1d36/QueerandTransUtopia_01.jpg Home - Make it stand out Drag king Chase Lounge, who creates raunchy, fun and COVID-safe drag spaces in Los Angeles that welcome transgender and lesbian audiences, performs June 10, 2024, at “Pink Pony Club,” a show he hosts featuring an all-sapphic lineup. https://www.chriscckao.com/creative-coding daily 0.75 2025-09-23 https://www.chriscckao.com/out-and-about daily 0.75 2025-09-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1735046782775-FVG53UEV0LWDOCDM3U3V/Out+and+About_2.jpg Out and About Nilaja Cash, creator of Insomnia craft shop and board member of the annual event Dyke Day, looks into a star-shaped mirror at Manic Pixie Dream Market in April 2023. Queer spaces for BIPOC people and women allow Cash to be her authentic self, she said. Reflecting on places not as uplifting, Cash noted, “Sometimes I have to code-switch. I can’t be as loud and flamboyant and silly as I would want to be because I don’t want people to be overwhelmed by it and that makes me sad to dull down my shine.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1710886570813-AB37JYO0WIRMP8SWL0IB/Out+and+About_1.jpg Out and About At the entrance of Manic Pixie Dream Market, a queer flea market in East Hollywood, LA, organizer Marzz walks towards a cooler in April 2023. One year ago, Marzz established Fever Dream LA, a company that hosts events for queer women and gender-expansive people. As a former full-time vendor, one of Marzz’s goals in organizing this market is to build a tight-knit environment where people can meet their chosen families — a support system critical to queer people. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1710811101247-QNUEPXFVGS2YJFYEF3D1/Out+and+About_2.jpg Out and About Ari Mozafari, a vendor selling art prints and doing henna tattoos at Manic Pixie Dream Market, wraps themselves around a pair of pants printed with their art in April 2023. Mozafari said they feel comfortable in their body at the market. Its welcoming atmosphere contrasts most areas of LA, where heteronormative expectations are reinforced, they added. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1710811096736-5R8641J3XR2VBK5HERI5/Out+and+About_3.jpg Out and About Joesun Byun(left) and Savanah Lyon(right), who sell their handmade jewelry and crochet accessories at Manic Pixie Dream Market, pose in front of a mirror in April 2023. Queer spaces remind people in the community that they’re not alone, especially in a large city like LA, Byun said. As queerness intersects with other identities, Byun and Lyon hope to see more queer events that feature diverse activities across neighborhoods. “By spreading out, we’re allowing people from different backgrounds and income levels to be able to experience community,” Lyon said. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1710811113867-CL7FUUUTSGVFXGNVOMZZ/Out+and+About_6.jpg Out and About Volunteer Kim Dieu greets participants of Readings at Sunset in May 2023. The event was hosted by the Black and queer-owned organization Cuties Los Angeles to spotlight LGBTQ+ poets and feature queer food vendors. When Dieu began attending Cuties LA’s events, she felt a sense of belonging and understanding that she hadn’t experienced in environments that are not catered to queer BIPOC folks, Dieu said. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1710811111932-DG1SSOLE0X7FHDDG5HZR/Out+and+About_7.jpg Out and About Poet Bilqis Kulungu chuckles at Readings at Sunset in May 2023. On Mother’s Day, Kulungu read an emotional piece in progress about the complicated relationship they shared with their mom, who recently passed away. Another poem they read renders the different parts of themselves that they try to make peace with while healing. A goal they set for this year is to compose more explicitly queer poems, Kulungu said, as their identity and experiences inform the voices that they write with. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1710886372100-UT2XXT1BX67F6X00FXUQ/Out%2Band%2BAbout%2B3.jpg Out and About Artist Gray Lamb showcases a risograph print and its sketch while leading an LGBTQ+ risograph print workshop in Atwater Village, LA, in May 2023. The desire to recreate a welcoming queer community similar to that which Lamb experienced in art school was one of the reasons they established Nova Community Arts with friend Rosie Mayer in September 2021. The community-focused studio hosts a variety of creative workshops for queer people each month, including letterpress printing and bookmaking. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1758740103043-07XUTORKF3HA7MN7KY79/081A0210.jpg Out and About A room inside Nova Community Arts in May 2023. Gray Lamb and Rosie Mayer opened Nova Community Arts in September 2021 and began hosting a monthly “Queer Art Hang” in the first week, which soon turned into a gathering every Thursday. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1758412142184-3Y6KSU7JH2FSLHESAXW3/OutandAbout_1.jpg Out and About - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1758597935387-C7JZROETRZ6GJ7N7PW0T/OutandAbout_6.jpg Out and About - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.chriscckao.com/fishing-for-the-stories-left daily 0.75 2025-09-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1735048852848-3RMGAM9W1GEE3KZBH8HX/Doc_Kao_Christine_09.jpg Fishing for the Stories Left Joseph Tornade, with more than 50 years of fishing experience, backcasts his rod in May 2022. Tornade recalls how he used to tire from catching large numbers of smelts, mackerels, and crabs, as their populations were abundant. In the past year, however, he has noticed a significant decline in fish near Cabrillo Pier and Malibu. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1711060285295-YMTHDCKRWFOLDVQFD6Z4/Doc_Kao_Christine_15.jpg Fishing for the Stories Left Fishing lines foreground the Los Angeles landscape as fishers await their catches along Cabrillo Pier in May 2022. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1759191018130-UHC3T180TA5WUOZE7B0H/Fishing.jpg Fishing for the Stories Left A boat parked near Wharf Street, LA, was framed through a torn canvas fence in April 2022. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1759190969740-VJE97ZLIJ5KRQ0OD3497/Fishing_Kao_070.jpg Fishing for the Stories Left A No Trespassing sign hangs near the Port of Los Angeles in April 2022. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1711060271688-KNQWQAD2BTYU9TVYD48I/Doc_Kao_Christine_04.jpg Fishing for the Stories Left A sea lion rests on the dock of Fish Harbor in front of an Al Larson Boat Shop facility in San Pedro in April 2022. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1759193779104-V7CNBVU6MRID0SEA3NDN/Doc_Kao_Christine_13.jpg Fishing for the Stories Left A seabird at the shore of Cabrillo Beach picks up a toy shark in April 2022. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/970be9c5-af6b-4cc4-b4e6-e2c187f68fbd/fftst1+%28150+ppi%29.jpg Fishing for the Stories Left - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/55a5baaf-ae0c-4241-95bf-d4d9e089a9a1/fftst2+%28150+ppi%29.jpg Fishing for the Stories Left - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.chriscckao.com/olvera-street daily 0.75 2025-10-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1761874607760-B8M2AZUSA0PD1TN4TRP7/Doc_Kao_Christine_03.jpg Olvera Street The sun shines through the papel picado on Olvera Street in October 2021. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1711689305947-QBWXV0GNHV28EYQ0796H/IMG_8815-Enhanced-NR.jpg Olvera Street Ceramics are reflected in a mirror on Olvera Street in October 2021. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1735049310696-NFP72ZIB827DWC3VZGBD/IMG_9786-Enhanced-NR.jpg Olvera Street Rene Gutierrez smiles, surrounded by the collections at Casa Gutierrez, the stall founded by his parents, in October 2021. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1710811242093-A4U51W6W3PQ74YQYH6BX/IMG_9386-Enhanced-NR.jpg Olvera Street Armando Murillo, the second-generation owner of Murillo Leather, polishes his shoe in the store in October 2021. Murillo Leather is the only merchant on Olvera Street that still manufactures its own products using the same techniques established 52 years ago. Having grown up on this site and learned from his artisan parents, he strives to keep their legacy alive. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1758741491435-T1I0K548DHOXVM08Y2SQ/carmen.jpg Olvera Street Carmen, who has worked at Lupe’s Candy Shop for more than three decades, greets customers while holding a tamarind candy spoon in October 2021. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1710811246896-8Z9D38JI1G1SCKBEWX56/IMG_9462-Enhanced-NR.jpg Olvera Street A performer poses between two stalls during Olvera Street’s Novenario Procession celebrating the Day of the Dead in October 2021. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/74ee4bd7-2cad-473c-9a0b-a8d01cdf04b8/Olvera_Cover.jpg Olvera Street - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/13ecd978-9c82-464c-9250-8491cf2d56c6/olvera8+-+small.jpg Olvera Street - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.chriscckao.com/humans-of-yuanlin-first-market daily 0.75 2025-09-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1711828203880-JRK668HYVBJPCPR0Y30C/Yuanlin+First+Market.jpg Humans of Yuanlin First Market Mr. Lin, who inherited the stall from his parents, arranged vegetables in December 2020. The market was much more crowded 50 years ago as if it were Lunar New Year every day, he recalls. However, transportation was less convenient back then, making the work more tiresome for his mother, who would take the first bus every morning from Zhushan, a town 30 miles away, to reach the market in time for business. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1728975987563-8CNDAYEWJ63B83GQKL0Y/image-asset.jpeg Humans of Yuanlin First Market Mr. Liu hands a bag of seafood to a customer in December 2020. Liu began working in the market when he was 15. He has welcomed patrons at Yuanlin Fresh Fish every day around 5 AM after inheriting the stall from his uncle. However, Liu doesn’t aim to pass the stall on to his kids, citing better education and working opportunities compared to his days. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1728976434296-RPZFGPY29QUS47E4CRFN/Chen+Veggie.jpg Humans of Yuanlin First Market Chiang Kuo-Ching, the second-generation owner of Ching Yao fruit and vegetable shop, also the president of Yuanlin First Market’s Trade Union, cares for his stall in December 2020. Chiang's stall is the oldest operating in the market. He believes that vendors must adjust their business models to address customers’ dispersion, but even then, it would be hard for Yuanlin First Market to retrieve its flourishing scenes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1711692812019-ALO4LET129WNXJX8M1MZ/IMG_3414.jpg Humans of Yuanlin First Market A person on a scooter cruises through a lane in Yuanlin First Market in December 2020. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1758429409417-S24IV2LAT6XMWLBRF5GU/Humans+of+Yuanlin+First+Market3.jpg Humans of Yuanlin First Market https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1758429412168-VMI3MYLHP6C49OX1FG4D/Humans+of+Yuanlin+First+Market5.jpg Humans of Yuanlin First Market https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1758429409121-2ZM29ES02AK6KRME7X9N/Humans+of+Yuanlin+First+Market4.jpg Humans of Yuanlin First Market https://www.chriscckao.com/ephemeral-instants-eternally-inked daily 0.75 2025-10-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1761500846295-MN3H3Q4HZOGTFMHL3V8Y/Tattoo.jpg Ephemeral Instants, Eternally Inked Shekinah Lucas looks out a car window in April 2023, posing with a mushroom tattoo that symbolizes their 2021 solo drive from Los Angeles to Oregon during a difficult transition of losing friends and moving back home. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1711250007618-K8ERL6X0UXGP9FMA1UZF/tattoo5.small.jpg Ephemeral Instants, Eternally Inked After her mom was diagnosed with terminal cancer, Allison Wolfe was determined to keep a symbol of her. She said her mother died not long after she got the ink. Two decades later, the color of the tattoo has begun to wear off. Wolfe said she wonders if the memories of her mother will eventually fade the same way. "I was 30 years old when my mom died. … Your life is never really the same, so that really commemorates that," Wolfe said. "Even the fact that it’s so faded sometimes makes me feel sad because you’re like, ‘Oh, do memories fade?’" https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1759197103223-FWFPF1L24AX4DH44UNTE/tattoo4.small.jpg Ephemeral Instants, Eternally Inked Allison Wolfe holds a photo of her mother, whom she describes as a free-spirited and humorous lesbian feminist, in April 2023. A banner that reads "MOM" – in a traditional pattern that sailors would often get to remember loved ones at sea – is inked on Wolfe’s left arm crossing over a rose. Raised in an underground music scene, the lead singer of the punk band Bratmobile said many of her friends had already received tattoos by the time she decided to get her first one at 29 – the year she returned to Olympia, Washington, to care for her mother. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1711250016183-QC4VL3ISHDB3EWVGA69V/tattoo9.small.jpg Ephemeral Instants, Eternally Inked Mateen Bahai, who writes and produces music, lifts his shirt in April 2023 to show a waist tattoo that reads “blond/blonde,” inspired by Frank Ocean’s 2016 studio album “Blonde.” Tattoos can be a means of self-expression, helping people feel more comfortable with how they present themselves, said Bahai. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1711250020613-U8KFCZN25Z5JXUBV9AJK/DSC_9707.jpg Ephemeral Instants, Eternally Inked Frank Ocean’s album “Blonde” features the alternative spelling "blond" on the cover art, which sparked fan speculation that the dual versions reflect the bisexual artist’s fluid sexuality. Mateen Bahai’s tattoo, in response, signifies their own spectrum of femininity and masculinity, they said. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1759197130891-PSQGKCBL8ICAURIMT13V/tattoo2.small.jpg Ephemeral Instants, Eternally Inked Avalon Sweetland’s first tattoo was a butterfly on their right forearm, paying tribute to their father who died when they were in high school. Sweetland’s father also had a butterfly tattoo flying between her first and middle name on his forearm. And while Sweetland’s tattoo commemorates their father, it also connects them to their mother, who was the first in the family to have a butterfly tattoo. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1711250003017-W9ZOK79MNQQEVPQGO9B9/tattoo3.small.jpg Ephemeral Instants, Eternally Inked After the first butterfly tattoo, more bugs followed. Avalon Sweetland now dons more than 30 tattoos, including a bee, a scorpion and a centipede. Expecting to get more tattoos inspired by their family, Sweetland said they believe tattoos are a unique way to honor important people in their life. "It’s cool to pay tribute to other people," Sweetland said. "I love them, so I want them to be with me forever." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1759197811302-NWK4EYDGP7EC9KWX9XPS/tattoo7.small.jpg Ephemeral Instants, Eternally Inked A tattoo on Austin Riggs’ left forearm is a protein structure dedicated to his grandfather. A former geneticist at City of Hope, an organization researching treatments for chronic conditions, Riggs’ grandfather helped synthesize the human genome for insulin. Riggs said the tattoo honors his grandfather’s work, which not only advanced public health but also provided Riggs with opportunities to pursue higher education. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1711250009357-OJ0H4ZDBP4XM7XX3FHN2/tattoo6.small.jpg Ephemeral Instants, Eternally Inked Tattoos are also a way of documenting nostalgic memories, Austin Riggs said. The thimble tattoo under Riggs’ left thumb represents a game he used to play with his two younger sisters. They would take turns hiding and finding their grandmother’s thimble around the house in carefree and innocent times that he tried to capture in his tattoo. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1711250018317-BVIVD8MXQHHNHI8C8GNK/tattoo10.small.jpg Ephemeral Instants, Eternally Inked Eight years after getting her first lion tattoo honoring her father, Elizabeth Schiffler is adding two antelopes to her upper right arm in April 2023. Drawn to the antelopes’ whimsical depictions, Schiffler says she now chooses some tattoos for their aesthetics rather than symbolism. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1711250020231-XQIEHL3EMH14V9R9ELY1/tattoo11.small.jpg Ephemeral Instants, Eternally Inked Whether they simply decorate her body or carry deeper meanings, tattoos embody different stages of her life, Schiffler said. "Each tattoo is always a marker of time," Schiffler said. "They show me that time has passed. And some things are tied to certain memories, or there might have been a reason I got it." https://www.chriscckao.com/syracuse-summer-shimmer daily 0.75 2025-10-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/bdc29c51-0125-4402-bb2d-ceb96d48b4a9/SyracuseSummerShimmer_001.jpg Syracuse Summer Shimmer - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/359957c7-90e8-425e-9de4-3ae191267523/SummerSyraucseShimmer_001.jpg Syracuse Summer Shimmer - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/410bbe91-c763-4472-bbc0-63724b310a5c/SyracuseSummerShimmer_005.jpg Syracuse Summer Shimmer - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/b3dd0235-89c1-4dbe-a4ab-3604a34ea513/SyracuseSummerShimmer_008.jpg Syracuse Summer Shimmer - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/2f5f3974-7419-4b24-9fd6-8de7de064d5b/SyracuseSummerShimmer_004.jpg Syracuse Summer Shimmer - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/9d13ac78-9882-4e7d-bed9-1dd1bfa925ba/SyracuseSummerShimmer_002.jpg Syracuse Summer Shimmer - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/e61ea4a6-7146-4678-b82c-57f4ee86f3bb/SyracuseSummerShimmer_003.jpg Syracuse Summer Shimmer - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/eb93402a-6b76-44e8-b478-c67bde15e498/SyracuseSummerShimmer_006.jpg Syracuse Summer Shimmer - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.chriscckao.com/yuanlin daily 0.75 2025-11-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1759340861617-O8FKSVEZTIP561LTYEGP/After+Rain.jpg Yuanlin https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1759340807147-ZK73P56EHF3GP8IGGG5E/Yuanlin-9.jpg Yuanlin https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1759340726566-19MAXUS47RCMFF5TV3RD/Flamboyant+Tree.jpg Yuanlin https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1759341039830-W0W91FIKH45EX5VQ6F75/Yuanlin-5.jpg Yuanlin https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1759340776886-BOD4570U3MS0D2C6HPHL/Blossoming.jpg Yuanlin https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1759340731715-Q7CFGDNQR7KPI5MFZZO4/Growing.jpg Yuanlin https://www.chriscckao.com/unfinished-and-unafraid daily 0.75 2026-05-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/e7905523-430d-413f-8f87-77cf3aa0009e/Kao_LesWright_03.jpg Unfinished and Unafraid - Make it stand out 73-year-old Les Wright, a queer historian and long-term HIV survivor, faced a brutal transition when he moved to suburban Cortland after spending more than a decade in the LGBTQ+ hub of San Francisco, where he helped establish the GLBT Historical Society and became an AIDS activist. “I felt like I had jumped off the top of the Empire State Building and landed face-first on the sidewalk,” Wright said, discussing the deep social isolation he had experienced in the suburbia of Central New York. But in the last three years, Wright has found home again in Syracuse, getting engaged in 2026. He serves on the board of SAGE Upstate, a nonprofit supporting the well-being of older LGBTQ+ adults, and participates in Bear-A-Cuse, a safe space for members of the bear subculture, which celebrates hairy, stocky men. Establishing the Bear History Project International, Wright continues on his life mission since the 1990s: writing and preserving bears’ history. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1779928193514-4N98U7Q82R2TNA4EY79U/Kao_LesWright_01.jpg Unfinished and Unafraid Les Wright, 73, embraces his newly engaged fiancé at the Friends of Dorothy House dinner in Syracuse, NY, on Mar. 25, 2026. Hosting monthly community dinner open to all, Friends of Dorothy House was established by the married couple Michael DeSalvo and Nick Orth in 1992 to provide hospice care to people with AIDS. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1779928198106-4V6XXNVJBHWHP99UE2AH/Kao_LesWright_04.jpg Unfinished and Unafraid The bed, DVD shelf, and room decorations of Les Wright, 72, were reflected in a photo hung in Wright’s room in Syracuse, NY, on Nov. 7, 2025. Wright has dedicated his time since the 1990s to documenting the stories of the bear community, a queer subculture that celebrates stocky men with body hair. Founding Bear History Project International, he is currently researching for Bear Book III after publishing Bear Books I and II. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1779928194160-WXG83HTOIQR7KN291TM0/Kao_LesWright_02.jpg Unfinished and Unafraid At the Friends of Dorothy House Dinner, Les Wright, 72, photographs his friend Keith Bertrand embracing Tegan Ace Gorman-Young in Syracuse, NY, on Oct. 29, 2025. The dinner was hosted in All-Saints Roman Catholic Church, where a rainbow flag was stolen and burned during Pride month 2025. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1779928205429-1B38JW0BSZV6B5WK6RBW/Kao_LesWright_11.jpg Unfinished and Unafraid At a pharmacy, Les Wright, 72, waits to pick up his prescription in Syracuse, NY, on Dec. 10, 2025. Wright was infected with HIV in the early 1980s while living in one of the most vibrant LGBTQ+ neighborhoods in the United States, the Castro District in San Francisco. He served on the HIV Nightline Crisis Line. When he was tested at UCSF in 1986, the team told Wright that he was in the highest-risk category. “And frankly, we don’t understand why you're not dead,” they said to him. This near-death experience was one of the forces driving Wright to document the stories and histories of the bear community. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1779928200357-6Z1VQLBR7UF0GYN9MD46/Kao_LesWright_09.jpg Unfinished and Unafraid Les Wright, 72, hosted a mulled wine party in the community room of his apartment in Syracuse, NY, on Dec. 7, 2025. More than a dozen friends of Wright gathered for sweets and conversations, as Wright showcased his photo book, "Salt City & Its Environs," published by his independent publishing house, Bearskin Lodge Press. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1779928205591-KOB19YXZYM0FO8PHSFZS/Kao_LesWright_13.jpg Unfinished and Unafraid Les Wright, 72, carries a watering can for his house plants in the affordable housing he moved into months ago in the summer in Syracuse, NY, on Nov. 7, 2025. Wright spent his teenage years in Cortland. “It was so awful that at 17, I vowed to never live in Central New York again.” But Wright has now found home again in Syracuse, he said. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/17025167-e351-464c-b431-63c9d48c7ad4/Kao_DeniseCody_03.jpg Unfinished and Unafraid - Make it stand out At the younger end of the baby boomers, 64-year-old Denise Cody said queer people her age were lucky to be recognized because of people who came before and fought for their rights. Cody has experienced different types of discrimination being female, bisexual, living with disability, and now as an older person. Diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type Three when she was 14 years old, Cody began using a wheelchair in her 20s when walking became difficult. Nowadays, she also lives with osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. Despite the challenge of physical discomfort, Cody remains engaged in the Syracuse Gay and Lesbian chorus, where she met many of her friends since she joined the group in 1996, as well as participating in events organized by SAGE Upstate. “We live in America, supposed to be the land of the free and the brave,” Cody said. “There's not much freedom going on, and it's scary, and all we really need to do is to learn to respect one another and be kind.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1779925764639-1APYQ5Z5T5RL0P0VEQRR/Kao_DeniseCody_01.jpg Unfinished and Unafraid At the hospital bedside, Denise Cody, 64, reads a card from fellow members of the Syracuse Gay and Lesbian Chorus to her best friend Deborah Hardy, a founding member of the group, in Syracuse, NY, on Mar. 30, 2026. Hardy passed away a week later. Members of the chorus sang “Amazing Grace” and “Irish Blessings,” two songs Hardy had requested, at her memorial service, wearing the rainbow sashes that she had made in the 1990s. Besides being a close friend and group mate at the chorus, Cody is also Deborah’s second health proxy, following Hardy’s wife. The two have been friends for more than three decades. “Hey, we know about rough roads, don’t we?” Cody said to Deborah by the bed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1779929798242-YMLJ6FS9MWFB8OUZK6MI/Kao_DeniseCody_02.jpg Unfinished and Unafraid Denise Cody, 64, turns to see a fellow member of the Syracuse Gay and Lesbian Chorus during their weekly rehearsal on Apr. 13, 2026. Cody has been in the chorus since 1996 and has met many of her friends through the group. There was a period of time when she moved to California, yet she was welcomed back to the chorus when she returned to Syracuse. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1779925770261-J0Z4YE5K6X35PCB04H13/Kao_DeniseCody_13.jpg Unfinished and Unafraid Denise Cody, 64, uses a wall between her living room and bedroom to adjust herself back into a position in her wheelchair on Mar. 3, 2026. She puts baby powder on the parts of her body to prevent them from slipping. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1779925769905-LAZSKKOLWDYE4VC17880/Kao_DeniseCody_12.jpg Unfinished and Unafraid Denise Cody, 64, adjusts her right foot back on the footrest of her wheelchair in Syracuse, NY, on Mar. 3, 2026. Cody wears leg warmers year-round because they serve as an anchor for her to lift and move her feet. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1779927364793-EBNGRFQ9ZDUAQAQWHX00/Kao_DeniseCody_06.jpg Unfinished and Unafraid Denise Cody, 64, prepares the water to dye her hair purple before heading downstairs to play bingo with residents in her building in Syracuse, NY, on Apr. 17, 2026. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1779927269697-1SOHMEAY3YYDLJ8MNP9O/Kao_DeniseCody_14_01.jpg Unfinished and Unafraid Denise Cody, 64, plays with her 19-year-old cat Goober on Apr. 20, 2026. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/733187f4-b0a8-4a8b-83f8-ff6ce8c04155/Kao_AndreaStoeckel_03.jpg Unfinished and Unafraid - Make it stand out Andrea Stoeckel, a 69-year-old retired minister, has been estranged from her only sibling, who believes that being gay is contagious. Having lived alone since her divorce in 2024, Stoeckel said she has to work at not being isolated. She stays active with the Plymouth Congregational Church in Syracuse and sings soprano at the Syracuse Gay and Lesbian chorus. Supported by a walker, Stoeckel relies on paratransit services to move around the city, but the buses don’t always show up. Her parish brought her to New York State thirty years ago, and she stayed because it feels safe for her as a queer woman living with disability. “I've struggled with finding community that accepted me most of my life,” she said, “The LGBTQIA2S+ community is that for me.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1779924788727-L1RW0L7LZC9NOV3RTG44/Kao_AndreaStoeckel_01.jpg Unfinished and Unafraid Andrea Stoeckel, 69, waits in the lobby of McCarthy Manor in Syracuse, NY, on Jan. 29, 2026, for a ride to the Westcott Community Center, where she socializes with other seniors weekly. McCarthy Manor provides affordable housing for senior citizens and people with disabilities and is preparing for an upcoming housing inspection. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1779924788376-P5RTNANOS6X5G3IT7749/Kao_AndreaStoeckel_02.jpg Unfinished and Unafraid Andrea Stoeckel, 69, smiles as she leads a Bible study group in discussing the book “Better Ways to Read the Bible” by Zach W Lambert at the Plymouth Congregational Church in Syracuse, NY, on Feb. 22, 2026. It was the first time she had attended Church in person since Thanksgiving.” The group discussed whether they have experienced the Bible being weaponized against their values. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1779925000152-ZJXAVTU76TAYRIPXPFOG/Kao_AndreaStoeckel_07.jpg Unfinished and Unafraid Andrea Stoeckel, 69, arrives early at the Plymouth Congregational Church, where she leads a Bible study group during Lent, in Syracuse, NY, on Mar. 1, 2026. Founded in 1853, Plymouth has stressed its support for “immigrant, native, worker, LGBTQ+ and women’s rights.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1779924840240-TTID6WM2E2B8KDQCCRWK/Kao_AndreaStoeckel_12.jpg Unfinished and Unafraid Andrea Stoeckel, 69, points to her wall as she sits in the living room she moved into in October 2024 after experiencing a divorce and four months of not having permanent residence, in Syracuse, NY, on Apr. 11, 2026. On her window hung seven mini-flags, each representing a value: the red one reads “courage,” the orange one “joy,” the yellow one “spirit,” the green one “celebrate,” the teal one “community,” the indigo one “equality,” and the purple one “diversity.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1779924941146-4ET93QSD3NVFR4UCZS4F/Kao_Andrea_01.jpg Unfinished and Unafraid Andrea Stoeckel, 69, disembarks the bus as she arrives at Pride Day LGBTQ+ Family Day of Visibility at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, NY, on May 3, 2026. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/65f4d07672ed8b13ba90e9df/1779924837792-AMW4SPVZG7QKC7SHTT5Y/Kao_AndreaStoeckel_04.jpg Unfinished and Unafraid A reflection shows Andrea Stoeckel, 69, standing up from her walker while waiting for Call-a-Bus, a paratransit program in Central New York, outside of her apartment in Syracuse, NY, on Mar. 1, 2026. Stoeckel began using a walker after falling about eight years ago. Relying on paratransit, however, she has experienced drivers not showing up for her appointment several times.