Portraits of Marriage

In 2004 gay couples were able to marry legally for the first time in the United States, when the law changed in Massachusetts. Despite an intitial backlash against this shift, and the passage in many states of laws prohibiting gay marriage, that event became the catalyst for a totally altered cultural and legal landscape over the next decade. Today, public opinion on gay rights is shifting rapidly away from fear and intolerance and toward acceptance. The “Portraits of Marriage” project documents some of the people at the heart of this cultural revolution, the gay couples who have made life-time commitments to each other, both legally and not. In the photographs, I seek to create truthful and poignant portrayals of these relationships, as the cultural landscape changes around them.