Another Pride photo drive

We’re doing another photo drive for the WordPress Photo Directory for Pride this year. I’m excited to fill the directory with more rainbows and representation! One unique challenge with the directory is that photos can’t include recognizable faces. It made me think about stories I’ve heard about early Pride events in parts of the U.S., where marchers often wore masks to protect their identities. I remember seeing photos myself when I lived in San Diego and visited a local LGBTQ+ archive organization. Seeing the covered faces of people holding signs broke my heart and, at the same time, felt familiar. That tension between visibility and safety has continued across decades and movements, especially as surveillance tech has grown more pervasive. To me, capturing Pride without faces offers a quiet nod to that history and, in many places, the current reality of the risk of Pride. It’s a creative constraint that honors those who showed up even when it wasn’t safe to be seen, yesterday and today. If you’re queer or an ally with a camera, I hope you consider submitting a photo this year.