THE RIIS BEACH BOYS
Riis beach is a gay/queer beach in Queens, New York. It is a queer utopia, a safe space for trans and queer bodies to convene and enjoy the healing properties of the beach without threat of harassment. As this space is so sacred to the queer community, I chose not to take any photographs there but instead to shoot my two friends Anne + Lou, two remarkable trans boys, at nearby Rockaway beach. I double exposed this image with a shot of three friends running down the shoreline playfully. Whilst hand printing this image in the darkroom I manipulated the colours of the pink and blue sunset sky to create a pinkish wash and a visual representation of the beautiful chaos that to me is Riis beach.