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Marc Weinstein
Friend #2
,
2011
Photographic inkjet print
16"
x 20"
Weinstein’s photograph captures two middle-
aged men sitting close together, joyful with
their arms around each other. Images of real
people, as opposed to media portrayals of
invented characters, are vitally important tools
in the fight for queer social justice, giving face
and personalities to statistical information,
such as “10% of the population identifies
as LGBT.”
Albert J. Winn
Erev Shabbat
, 1993
Silver gelatin print
18"
x 22"
Diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in 1989, considered then an
automatic death sentence, Winn decided to embrace
a project, “My Life Until Now,” that would document his
experiences living as a Jewish homosexual with AIDS.
“
I wanted to show that regardless of illness
there was a whole life to be considered,
one of love and disappointment, religious
and cultural identity, family, personal rela-
tionships, and memory.” Winn managed to
survive into an era of effective medications
and increased understanding for those
living with the disease. His photographs
stand as a meaningful documentary, rather
than a memorial.
Erev Shabbat
depicts Winn sitting on his couch, looking
into the camera with a contemplative gaze. In the back-
ground, his partner sits at a table prepared for the
Sabbath eve. The quietness and subtlety of the scene
enhance the serenity and meditative atmosphere of the
Sabbath, and allow Winn to marry his romantic life to his
Judaism without trauma. For Winn, his homosexuality
and his Judaism are not mutually exclusive.
