Non-binary People Find Home in Their Bodies in These Vivid Portraits

"The Home We Carry" by Glenda Lissette

For artist Glenda Lissette, home is more than just four walls and a bed.

"Growing up, I moved almost every year of my life," Lissette told PRIDE. "As I moved from city to city, I found a sense of comfort and identity in the clothes I wore. When I was starting high school, I moved back to the U.S. from Guatemala with nothing more than four suitcases filled with clothes because that’s all I felt I needed to build a new home."

And in her latest photography project The Home We Carry (which she debuted at the 2605 | the Red Bull house earlier this month), she paints vivid portraits of the homes we carry around with us: our bodies.

"With The Home We Carry, I’m looking at the relationship between our sense of home and the clothing we wear," she said. "Ultimately, the goal with the series is to document the homes that we construct on our bodies, but I think the series is also looking at the relationship between body & land."

Photo: Nancy Sanchez Tamayo

"The Home We Carry" by Glenda Lissette

The result: stunning portraits of women, men, and non-binary people from Chicago’s art scene.

"I think the photos represent the people in my community," Lissette said. "As a bisexual woman of color, any time I photograph people, I’m always thinking about the complexities of people’s identities and the diversity of our perspectives."

For many, fashion and style can be a refuge, a handpicked declaration of who they are to the world. "I want the images to highlight the clothing that people chose to wear, but also the stories we tell through adornment. I like my work to stay open to interpretation," adds Lissette. "But for me, this project was about hearing people's stories and interacting with their personal style."

"Because the photographs were taken in Chicago, I want them to reflect the land that we’re on. I think they acknowledge that no matter how we construct our homes and cities, the indigenous land is still the space that we occupy."

With the portraits below, a few of those photographed shared a slice of their selves with PRIDE.

Photo: Zachary Hutchinson

Gabriela Ibarra

"My name is Gabriela Ibarra and I’m first-generation Chicana, born and raised on the southside of Chicago. I wore one of my favorite, traditional bordado shirts, but my more meaningful items were the jewelry I chose to accessorize with. The hoop earrings belonged to my maternal abuelita and were found in her home after she passed, and some of my rings were gifted to me by my mother. I definitely put thought into how I dress, but the jewelry I wear completes an outfit for me, so I’ll often wear very special items when doing something important because I know I can count on their energy to guide me."

Kaina

"My name is Kaina and I’m a first generation Latina born and raised in Chicago—writing songs, performing and connecting with community. The outfit I decided to wear is sentimental because it was my mom’s two-piece from when she was in her early '20s. She arrived from Venezuela to Chicago alone, not knowing the language or anyone but who she came to work for. She was so young and had to figure so much out and she did. It reminds me of the feelings I get trying to sort out my life as I grow and knowing I too will figure out moments that are new or difficult."

Masood Haque

"I'm Masood Haque, a comedian and actor based in Chicago. I chose to wear a kurta my mother gave me for Eid a few years back and my Timbs, both of which match my ring. My grandmother gave me the ring when I was 16 and it's the something I almost never take off. I wanted to showcase items that are representative of who I am. An immigrant who came to the states when he was a year and a half, whose connection to the identity society first sees when they look at him is something he's learned secondhand. Also, kurtas make my shoulders look great."

Nate Barksdale

"The Idaho hoodie was my nana's. It’s the only piece of clothing of hers that I own. I used to wear it while I cooked for her, paint for her. I’ve never been to Idaho but every time I wear it I feel swaddled in her angelic force field."

Pidgeon Pagonis

"My name is Pidgeon and I'm an intersex person and activist who is also non-binary. Everyone thinks they have the right to gender me into a binary box, but I don't identify as a man or woman, so I make merch for those of us who are "too cute to be binary." So many of us are so much more than the two basic choices forced on us from birth. The phrase on my tee means you don't get to define me, I do."

Spencer Barry-Jenkins

"When I was in the second grade my mom took me to see *NSYNC. It was my first concert and I remember buying this shirt walking out. It was practically a dress on me then and now it’s an awesome shirt with a story. The Nike’s came from a day in the 6th grade when my mom let me skip school. We ended up going to Santee Alley and somewhere along the way I picked these up. Kind of crazy how my feet still fit in them 10+ years later."