Documentary photographer Vincent Cianni has broken the silence on the lives of military people living before, during and after the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell military code, in a moving collection of photographs documenting gay and lesbian service members.
The photographs and interviews were taken over a three year period, where Cianni travelled across the states talking to people who hid their personal lives while in service. The book also follows the struggle of those affected on their journey following the controversial legislation’s repeal in 2011.
The photographer, who is openly gay himself, decided to embark on the project not just on a civil and human rights level, but recognised a need for those affected to have a voice. Speaking in an interview with the The New York Times, Cianni said:
“At the beginning it was really difficult to break through that wall because they didn’t know who I was. But the interviews were a big part of how I established trust.
“I’d talk with people about things that sometimes they hadn’t visited for many years or had never visited. There were things they said to me on tape that they had never discussed with anyone else. Sometimes I shared with them my own experiences and difficulties. By the time the interviews ended, we had shared something just like you share in boot camp.”
Cianni’s book Gays in the Military, hosting the entire 100 photographs and interviews from his project, is due for release on April 30th.
Images via Vincent Cianni website
