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Collected Item: “This is what a lesbian asylum seeker looks like.”

What is your name?

Valerie Pires

What are your pronouns?

she/her/hers

Use the following phrase for your photograph's title, filling in the blank with however you self-identify. Feel free to include all intersections of your identity. (Examples: lesbian, trans person of color, Latinx queer woman, radical faery, butch, etc.): "This is what a _______ looks like."

This is what a lesbian asylum seeker looks like.

Tell us more about your photo by sharing a brief artist statement or answering this prompt: "This is what being ______ means to me..."

Arezou (26), an Iranian lesbian asylum seeker, created her fashion version of Safe Place International's t-shirt made for the Athens Pride Parade. Safe Place International is a humanitarian organization that provides a safe house for LGBTQ refugees in Athens. Athens, Greece.
As a social documentary photographer, I followed a group of LGBTQ asylum seekers, refugees, and humanitarian workers as they prepared for and participated in the Athens Pride Parade. For some, it was a significant moment as it was the first time they experienced the freedom and safety to celebrate their identity publicly.

Describe your photo so we can provide alt-text for future visitors to this website.

Arezou (26), an Iranian lesbian asylum seeker dressed in a cropped black t-shirt with a rainbow flag and "Refugees Welcome" written on it, throws her head back laughing as she ecstatically prepares to attend the Athens Pride Parade in Athens, Greece.

Do you consent to The Curve Foundation storing, sharing, and using this image and its description as we deem appropriate, including disseminating on our social media, website, and Curve quarterly? Do you confirm that you are the photographer of this image?

Yes

What is your instagram handle?

@valpnyc

In the event that you win this contest, how can we best contact you: Instagram, email, or other? If other, please provide contact details.

Email
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