Photo Book on Senior Lesbian Partnerships

Hello everyone,

My name is Morgan Lieberman and I am a documentary photographer from Los Angeles, California. I am currently in the beginning stages of creating my first photography book. After several years of embarking on projects that center around identity, I am now energized and thrilled by my largest undertaking yet.

For the next five to ten years, I will be documenting senior lesbian couples across all 50 states. Considering the widespread stigma of aging and how often older generations feel hidden in society and mainstream media representations, this project will give visibility specifically to queer women in beautiful, loving partnerships. It will serve as a historic archive for queer generations to come and will honor those that persevered and fought for their rights, despite all odds. It is a project of honesty, of joy, and of believing in love throughout decades of fear, discrimination, and the weight of antiquated social norms on these women’s shoulders.

I am keeping my focus on lesbian couples because of my own lesbian identity and the self reflective aspect of this project giving me hope in many ways. As a child, I rarely had the opportunity to be around queer individuals and couples, let alone queer people in their golden years. My priority is to make sure that all women of color are widely represented and highlighted, as well as trans women and women with disabilities. I am motivated to make sure this project reaches across the board in intersectionality, as well as geographical regions that have become unexpected safe havens for lesbian women.

My creative process includes portraiture in every couple’s home, as well as an observational look at sentimental objects and reportage of their daily life. There will be a certain level of intimacy gained with intentional documentation of the home environment. After photographing the couple and attempting to capture their essence through my eyes, I will conclude the session with a sit down video interview where I ask them all a series of questions about their relationship, their personal timelines, and the nuances of love as they get older.

By creating this GoFundMe, I will be able to work on the project as much as possible instead of waiting on grant funds that are incredibly competitive and might only fund a small portion of this project. The funds will directly cover my travel, lodging, meals, film supplies, and development of film (shooting on film and digital). I hope to eventually showcase the project in museums, galleries, and pop up events to raise awareness and celebrate this special, resilient community of people. I’d also like to send GoFundMe backers a personalized postcard from each state as I make progress on this epic photo journey!

As of now, I have 47 states to go! My goal is to photograph 1-3 couples per state and I would like to spend around 4 days in each state. I am asking for $20,000 as an ideal halfway point for the project’s scope of the entire country. With your assistance and generosity, this project will foster positive change and optimism for countless people and will help facilitate the storytelling that has so often been minimized or even erased in queer history as a whole.

Thank you for checking out this page. It means the world to have the privilege to work on this, especially during a time of such rapid anti-LGBTQ legislation being passed. If there is one thing I can accomplish in this lifetime, it is the chance to help others be seen and heard and embraced. Now, more than ever, is the time to celebrate those that paved the way.

Kindly,

Morgan Lieberman

IG: @thechromaticsheep

https://www.thechromaticsheep.com