LGBT posterboys
The men in the World Press Photo of the year talk about being gay in Russia today
The 2014 award for the World Press Photo of the Year has gone to an image by Danish photographer Mads Nissen of a gay couple in St. Petersburg, Russia. The photograph, taken in May 2014, is one in a series by Nissen about homophobia in Russia today.
“Mads Nissen warned us that our photos would be published and go on display. Revealing photographs like this don’t scare me one bit,” Jonathan Jacques-Louis, one of the men in the picture, told Paperpaper.ru. “I don’t think there are any political motives here. The jury is supposed to be objective and impartial.”
Jacques-Louis also points out that his partner in the photo, Alexander Semenov, is in fact bisexual, not homosexual, meaning Nissen’s image, despite reports in the media and on the World Press Photo’s own website, is in fact a victory for both gays and bisexuals. Jacques-Louis says he knows such details might overcomplicate the story for some in the public, “but I’m an LGBT actvist,” he says, “so that doesn’t bother me.”
Semenov told Paperpaper.ru that Nissen’s photoseries aims to change the tone of discussion about homophobia in Russia.
“There was too much negativity and he wanted to show that good things are still happening in the LGBT community. He wanted to show our feelings, our passion—something like that,” Semenov said.