Photography for a Purpose

In late March, I left America—abruptly, instinctively, necessarily. As a Black trans woman, the signals had become unmistakable: the country I once called home had grown increasingly hostile, unrecognizable, and unsafe. What began as an act of self-preservation became a kind of pilgrimage—an unplanned exile undertaken with a film camera in hand.

 

Long Way from Home is a visual diary of this journey. Shot across European cities during my ongoing displacement, each image is both document and dreamscape: an attempt to archive the fragile beauty of the world as I encounter it, and to chart a path for others like me—trans Americans seeking refuge, dignity, and a place to exhale.

 

These photographs do not attempt permanence. Rather, they honor the fleeting: the soft rituals of everyday life, the anonymity of new streets, the unexpected intimacy of being far from what once felt familiar. They are postcards from a liminal space—visual prayers, perhaps—for solace and belonging. For me, they mark moments of quiet bliss. For others, I hope they might become a kind of compass.