The project eventually became known as Self Evident Truths, a reference to the section of the Declaration of Independence that claimed that “all men are created equal.” For a near decade, he toured around the entire United States and visited Pride festivals, conferences, college campuses, and street corners to collect portraits of queer Americans of all ages, ethnicities, and professions. While the vast majority of the subjects are everyday people who work in places like banks, restaurants, and childcare facilities, he also turned the lens onto celebrities like movie star Cara Delevigne or musician King Princess.
By the end of 2019, Wright had taken over 10,000 photos, which have now been collected in a new photo book called Self Evident Truths: 10,000 Portraits of Queer America (out now via Penguin Random House), featuring a foreword by #BlackLivesMatter co-founder Patrisse Cullors. Flipping through the tome’s pages is astounding, as it reminded me that we LGBTQ+ people are more multitudinous and commonplace that mainstream media would have us believe. Calling from his Los Angeles home, Wright sat down with them. to discuss how the project came together and the amazing people he met along the way.
Can you describe what your interactions would be like when you were taking peoples’ portraits?
I think I did 104 shoots altogether. Some of them were very predictable. It’s like, “Hi, nice to meet you, thank you so much for coming. Okay, stand right there, chin up a little bit, great. Oh, you’re so beautiful.” It’s amazing what happens when you tell people that they’re beautiful. That’s the moment you take the picture.
As the years went on, there were a lot more people who would show up who were like, “Oh, I met my wife at one of your shoots.” There was a couple in Brooklyn who got engaged at one of the very last shoots. This person wrote and was like, “I want to propose to my girlfriend.” They showed up, and she winked at me. So I was acting like I was taking the pictures, but I was actually filming.
There was a trans teen in South Carolina in 2014, who came with her mom. I always made a point of it, to talk to parents, especially of trans kids. I was like, “We really need you and it’s really cool that you brought your kid here. I just want to tell you that as someone who’s older than this person, we appreciate you.” And this woman was like, “Yeah, we’ve had a rough go of it. Her father, when she came out to him as trans, beat the shit out of her and said that she would never accept him.” She said, “I left my husband, and now it’s just me and my daughter.” Yeah. When I got to talk to people, there were some very, very beautiful stories.
