22/02/2024
It is often interesting to think about the intersectionality of LGBTQIA+ identities and other groups in society. The Guardian reports that a new art book of photographs by Michael Joseph who has met and documented the lives of travellers in the United States. Sometimes referred in the UK as "new travellers" to distinguish them from traditional gypsy communities, the people in Joseph's photographs are sometimes LGBTQIA+, from a mixture of backgrounds, creeds and races. They are part of a long tradition of itinerant lifestyles in the US. The book "Lost & Found" documents a contemporary American subculture of young travellers through raw, striking portraiture and stories. More than 10 years in the making, Michael Joseph’s images capture courage, tenderness and determination in his subjects. One of the pictured people, Dueo, says "‘Many travellers don’t identify with the political left or right but instead see all government as corrupt. Living outside the system is the favoured belief. Many travellers wear anti-Nazi symbols and believe in full equality, regardless of their backgrounds. I always knew I would end up on my own travelling. I never fit in at home or in school." Raskull adds "‘I’ve been travelling for seven years. I was pretty sheltered for most of my teens. I lived through stories in books, and all I wanted was my own adventure. In my early 20s, I got a job as a go-go dancer at a gay club in Boston. I would go to a local bar to drink and smoke with all the travellers. It was only a matter of time before I fell for one and hit the road. I started dreading my hair, learned how to play the ukulele, and got gifted the most amazing dog in the world’". Lost & Found by Michael Joseph is published by Kehrer Verlag. Why not order your copy through a radical, progressive or independent bookstore that gives back to diverse communities.
