2022 Photos of the Year

Leila Jackson, 17, right, looks toward her mother, Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, while seated by her father Patrick Jackson during day one of confirmation hearings at the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington, DC on Monday, March 21, 2022.
Leila Jackson, 17, right, looks toward her mother, Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, while seated by her father Patrick Jackson during day one of confirmation hearings at the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington, DC on Monday, March 21, 2022.
Sarahbeth Maney / New York Times

The past year has been one for the history books. As many places open up, Diversify Photo members are out making photographs and documenting our world. And for the first time since our founding in 2017, we have created a gallery of some of their work—50 photographs from 46 photographers in 20 countries—as a look back on the year.

Lianne Milton and David M. Barreda selected the images that follow from the more than 800 submissions we received. Made on assignment with the New York Times, Sarahbeth Maney’s now iconic photograph of the honorable (now) Supreme Court Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and the smile and look of pride her daughter Leila flashed at her during the justice’s confirmation hearings is one of these. Other moments are less well known but speak just as clearly to the understanding that Diversify Photo members have with those they photograph. Nicky Quamina-Woo’s powerful portrait of a new friendship bond goes deeper than a quick portrait might with an image of dignity and solemnity. And photographing for NPR, Arin Yoon’s visual description of her name and the story behind her mother’s dream brings insight into her own cultural heritage for all to see.

Diversify Photo members come from all places and backgrounds, they are editorial, fine art, and commercial photographers and you will see some of each of these styles here. Have a happy new year.

December '21

A young boy reads by candlelight at his home in Phang-nga, Thailand, which does not have electricity, December 8, 2021. He is a member of the Moklen, an ethnic group living along the Andaman Coast in Southern Thailand with its own language that lacks an alphabet. A team of linguists and anthropologists are working together with local communities to document and revitalize Moklen language and culture as an empowering tool to enhance cultural assets and strengthen identity of this marginalized ethnic group.

A young boy reads by candlelight at his home in Phang-nga, Thailand, which did not have electricity. He is a member of the Moklen, an ethnic group living along the Andaman Coast in Southern Thailand with its own language that lacks an alphabet. A team of linguists and anthropologists are working together with local communities to document and revitalize Moklen language and culture as an empowering tool to enhance cultural assets and strengthen identity of this marginalized ethnic group.

Athikhom Saengchai

Cambodian artists perform a Khmer shadow puppet during an art festival in Siem Reap, Cambodia, to attract visitors after the country eases Covid-19 travel restrictions.

Cambodian artists perform a Khmer shadow puppet during an art festival in Siem Reap, Cambodia, to attract visitors after the country eases Covid-19 travel restrictions.

Cindy Liu

Owners of La Indita restaurant Maria and Joseph Garcia pose for a portrait in Tucson, AZ on December 10th 2021.

Owners of La Indita restaurant Maria and Joseph Garcia pose for a portrait in Tucson, AZ on December 10th 2021.

Cassidy Araiza / Bon Appétit

Puma Hoops campaign for Puma Women.

Amaya Santiago photographed for Puma Hoops x Puma Women campaign.

Lauren Crew / Puma

Birds are readily found along the famous Pipeline road near Gamboa, Panama on December 18, 2021.

The Black-tailed trogon (T. melanurus macroura), Trogon Colinegro in Spanish, begins its day in the early morning haze of a relatively remote glen an hour’s walk north east of the famous Camino del Oleoducto in the Soberania National Park in Las Cumbres, Panama in December 2021.

Ash Ponders

January

A health worker collects a swab sample from a woman for COVID-19 testing at a mobile health center in Kolkata, India.

A health worker collects a swab sample from a woman for COVID-19 testing at a mobile health center in Kolkata, India.

Debarchan Chatterjee

Cynthia Mtonde in Martinique, French West Indies

Cynthia Mtonde is photographed in Martinique, French West Indies. "Each time she and I hung out, both her beauty and exuberance for life stood out," photographer Nicky Quamina-Woo says. However, in this moment, Quamina-Woo saw a quiet pain as well as Mtonde's father had recently died of a heart attack while the two were having a day at the beach.

Nicky Quamina-Woo

A purple gallinule uses its long toes to walk across floating vegetation in the southern Florida Everglades.

A purple gallinule uses its long toes to walk across floating vegetation in the southern Florida Everglades.

Jennifer Ortiz

Older Tūhoe children drive the younger siblings home after a swim in the river on a hot summer day in Ruatoki, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.

Older Tūhoe children drive the younger siblings home after a swim in the river on a hot summer day in Ruatoki, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.

Tatsiana Chypsanava

Demonstrators march through the streets of Montevideo, Uruguay, on January 28 to protest against a recent gang rape case that shocked the country.

Demonstrators march through the streets of Montevideo, Uruguay, on January 28 to protest against a recent gang rape case that shocked the country.

Mariana Greif

A celebration of lucky fruit, daily life, the new year, and a classic nature morte is a reminder of mortality. The mandarins are kishus, a varietal transplanted to the US from Japan in the 1980s. The pomelo-looking citrus are oro blancos, which were bred in Southern California from a cross between pomelos (which have a long history in SE and East Asia for new years’ celebrations) and white grapefruit. The non-traditional oro blancos are here as a symbol of the continued development and remixing of Asian American experiences.

A celebration of lucky fruit, daily life, the new year, and a classic nature morte is a reminder of mortality. The mandarins are kishus, a varietal transplanted to the US from Japan in the 1980s. The pomelo-looking citrus are oro blancos, which were bred in Southern California from a cross between pomelos (which have a long history in SE and East Asia for new years’ celebrations) and white grapefruit. The non-traditional oro blancos are here as a symbol of the continued development and remixing of Asian American experiences.

Stephanie Shih

"Past, Present and Future." A self-portrait from a personal project called "Guadalupe" where I explore the ways in which Mexico's Patron Saint has impacted my life.

A self-portrait from a personal project called "Guadalupe" where I explore the ways in which Mexico's Patron Saint has impacted my life.

Amanda Lopez

February

Print editorial on Paulus Music and the Dembow music movement featuring Tokisha in "Let's Go to Twerk" for the Spring 2022 issue of Dazed and Confused photographed in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Print editorial on Paulus Music and the Dembow music movement featuring Tokisha in "Let's Go to Twerk" for the Spring 2022 issue of Dazed and Confused photographed in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Don Brodie / Dazed magazine

Prakashi Devi works at a farm near Ramba village, Karnal district, Haryana, India.

Prakashi Devi works at a farm near Ramba village, Karnal district, Haryana, India.

Smita Sharma / Nature Conservancy

Nayreth holds her newborn daughter, Salomé, in her home in the La Veganeighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, February 4, 2022. Since her brother’s murder, Nayreth has found purpose being mentored by a local community leader and helping host workshops and community events focused on issues of violence and female empowerment. https://www.washingtonpost.com/photography/2022/10/14/gang-police-violence-rages-neighborhood-tries-connect/

Nayreth holds her newborn daughter, Salomé, in her home in the La Veganeighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, February 4, 2022. Since her brother’s murder, Nayreth has found purpose being mentored by a local community leader and helping host workshops and community events focused on issues of violence and female empowerment.

Lexi Parra / Washington Post

Josimary Gomes feeds her son Gilberto, 6, through a gastric tube in Algodão de Jandaíra, Paraíba, Brazil, February, 17, 2022.. Gilberto has low vision and enjoys looking at lights so she uses a cell phone to calm him down. Gilberto and more than 4,000 children were born with microcephaly in Brazil between 2015 and 2016, due to the Zika virus outbreak transmitted by the mosquito.

Josimary Gomes feeds her son Gilberto, 6, through a gastric tube in Algodão de Jandaíra, Paraíba, Brazil, February, 17, 2022.. Gilberto has low vision and enjoys looking at lights so she uses a cell phone to calm him down. Gilberto and more than 4,000 children were born with microcephaly in Brazil between 2015 and 2016, due to the Zika virus outbreak transmitted by the mosquito.

Maíra Erlich / Causette Magazine

Portrait of Quannah Rose Chasinghorse-Potts, in front of sacred Indigenous land near her childhood home on the Navajo Nation. The landform is known as West Mitten, in Monument Valley, Utah. Set aside in 1958, it is a Navajo Nation tribal park, considered sacred by Diné and managed by the nation. Self-management of lands sacred to Indigenous peoples is one major aspect of the Native American landback movement.

Portrait of Quannah Rose Chasinghorse-Potts, in front of sacred Indigenous land near her childhood home on the Navajo Nation. The landform is known as West Mitten, in Monument Valley, Utah. Set aside in 1958, it is a Navajo Nation tribal park, considered sacred by Diné and managed by the nation. Self-management of lands sacred to Indigenous peoples is one major aspect of the Native American landback movement.

Kiliii Yüyan / National Geographic

An octopus releases a cloud of ink, a defense mechanism, after having been caught and speared by Hamadi Ali Ali, 32, a seaweed farmer, near Makangale on the island of Pemba in Zanzibar. Farmers will often hunt for octopus opportunistically while tending to their farms.

An octopus releases a cloud of ink, a defense mechanism, after having been caught and speared by Hamadi Ali Ali, 32, a seaweed farmer, near Makangale on the island of Pemba in Zanzibar. Farmers will often hunt for octopus opportunistically while tending to their farms.

Nyani Quarmyne

Photographer Djibril Drame was walking around the market in Tambacounda, Senegal, when he made this photograph of Ngoor on his motorcycle. The street behind Ngoor is a quiet riot of goods—the apples, bananas, clementines, the jerseys. The golden helmet dotted with pieces of cowrie shells and spiked with horns is not entirely out of place here, but was special enough to catch the photographer's attention.

Djibril Drame

March

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris joins Civil Rights leaders and other guests as they walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge during the “Bloody Sunday” commemorations in Selma, Alabama, U.S. March 6, 2022.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris joins Civil Rights leaders and other guests as they walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge during the “Bloody Sunday” commemorations in Selma, Alabama, U.S. March 6, 2022.

Alyssa Pointer / Reuters

Two protestors pause during a march on the occasion of International Women's Day, in Santiago, Chile, March 8, 2022.

Two protestors pause during a march on the occasion of International Women's Day, in Santiago, Chile, March 8, 2022.

Adriana Thomasa / EPA

Kayla Williams poses in gold body paint.

Kayla Williams poses in gold body paint.

Kelvin Bulluck

April

The brightly colored rock reefs of north Vancouver Island have caused many of its inhabitants to adopt camouflage to suit. This type of large sculpin, known as a red irish lord, is usually found on outcroppings where the currents sweep prey in front. It's dwarfed by the meter-tall plumose anemones, also reaching into the current to collect their food.

The brightly colored rock reefs of north Vancouver Island have caused many of its inhabitants to adopt camouflage to suit. This type of large sculpin, known as a red irish lord, is usually found on outcroppings where the currents sweep prey in front. It's dwarfed by the meter-tall plumose anemones, also reaching into the current to collect their food.

Kiliii Yuyan

A still life of a platter of pastries, inspired by the painter Wayne Thiebaud, created in collaboration with paper artist Reina Takahashi, photographed on April 26, 2022.

A still life of a platter of pastries, inspired by the painter Wayne Thiebaud, created in collaboration with paper artist Reina Takahashi.

Andria Lo

DeRay stands outside with his dogs in New Orleans, March 12, 2022. He tells the photographer that these pups were actually his daughter’s that he takes care of.

DeRay stands outside with his dogs in New Orleans, March 12, 2022. He tells the photographer that these pups were actually his daughters that he takes care of.

Rita Harper

A multiple-exposure portrait of Shawanda Hill, a former girlfriend of George Floyd, in Minneapolis, MN on April 12, 2022. On May 25, 2020, Hill met Floyd at Cup Foods moments before his fatal encounter with former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Blocked by a park officer, Hill was unable to see that Floyd was being suffocated under Chauvin’s knee, and left to care for her granddaughter. It wasn’t until the next day that she heard about his death on the morning news. She still mourns not doing more for him, but Hill also remembers Floyd for the ways he loved and held her up her during their time together. She says, “He let me cry, he let me snap. He was there for me.”

A multiple-exposure portrait of Shawanda Hill, a former girlfriend of George Floyd, in Minneapolis, MN on April 12, 2022. On May 25, 2020, Hill met Floyd at Cup Foods moments before his fatal encounter with former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Blocked by a park officer, Hill was unable to see that Floyd was being suffocated under Chauvin’s knee, and left to care for her granddaughter. It wasn’t until the next day that she heard about his death on the morning news. She still mourns not doing more for him, but Hill also remembers Floyd for the ways he loved and held her up her during their time together. She says, “He let me cry, he let me snap. He was there for me.”

Caroline Yang

During Chitra Purnima, an important religious day for the Tamil community, several rituals take place. In one of them, devotees go into trance, channeling the Goddess in them, and have their cheeks pierced as a sign of devotion. This picture was taken in one of the small Tamil community pockets in the East coast of Mumbai.

During Chitra Purnima, an important religious day for the Tamil community, several rituals take place. In one of them, devotees go into trance, channeling the Goddess in them, and have their cheeks pierced as a sign of devotion. This picture was taken in one of the small Tamil community pockets in the East coast of Mumbai.

Suresh Naganathan

My name comes from my mother's conception dream, called 태몽 "taemong" in Korean. Conception dreams are common in Asian cultures, usually dreamt by the mother or someone close to her before or while she is pregnant that foretells the coming of a child. It is the relationship between the dreamer and the symbols in the dream that is meaningful. Common symbols are those found in nature, animals, fruits and jewels. My mom had her taemong as I was growing in her belly but she didn't know it yet. For my wedding, she wrote a poem about it: One day on my dream path I walked by a stream in the forest I saw jewels sparkling in the clear water I scooped up a handful And held them to the light Soon after a baby girl arrived 아 (Ah) is beauty 린 (Lhin) is the sparkle of a jade She grew up like her name Lighting up different paths

My name comes from my mother's conception dream, called 태몽 "taemong" in Korean. Conception dreams are common in Asian cultures, usually dreamt by the mother or someone close to her before or while she is pregnant that foretells the coming of a child. It is the relationship between the dreamer and the symbols in the dream that is meaningful. Common symbols are those found in nature, animals, fruits and jewels. My mom had her taemong as I was growing in her belly but she didn't know it yet. For my wedding, she wrote a poem about it: One day on my dream path/I walked by a stream in the forest/I saw jewels sparkling in the clear water/I scooped up a handful/And held them to the light/Soon after a baby girl arrived/아 (Ah) is beauty/린 (Lhin) is the sparkle of a jade/She grew up like her name/Lighting up different paths

Arin Yoon / NPR

Abstract textures styled by Pakayla Biehn, photographed April 20, 2022.

Abstract textures styled by Pakayla Biehn.

Andria Lo

May

A woman and child walk past the riot police during a protest against state-owned oil company Petroecuador, which maintains its oil extraction field next to Lago Agrio, Ecuador May 3, 2022.

A woman and child walk past the riot police during a protest against state-owned oil company Petroecuador, which maintains its oil extraction field next to Lago Agrio, Ecuador May 3, 2022.

Santiago Arcos / Reuters

While photographing in the northern town of Saint Louis, Senegal, photographer Rico X. ventured into the neighborhood of Guet N'Dar. The jeans and the door with the Senegalese flags, first caught his eye and he waited until the other elements came together.

Rico X.

Aerial view of section 2 of the Tren Maya, which is being built near Becal, Campeche, Mexico, on May 14, 2022. Environmental activists and defenders have denounced that the work on the train will have a serious impact on the jungle ecosystem and the flora and fauna that predominate in the area.

Aerial view of section 2 of the Tren Maya, which is being built near Becal, Campeche, Mexico, on May 14, 2022. Environmental activists and defenders have denounced that the work on the train will have a serious impact on the jungle ecosystem and the flora and fauna that predominate in the area.

Felix Marquez / Volkskrant

Sherrie Foy caring for her horses at her home in Moneta, Virginia, May 16, 2022. Foy had her colon removed at the University of Virginia's Health System in 2016. She later developed a dangerous infection from the surgery and her medical bills exceeded her insurance limit of $1 million. When she and her husband couldn't pay her bills, the University of Virginia sued her for more than $700,000, forcing her and her husband to file for bankruptcy.

Sherrie Foy caring for her horses at her home in Moneta, Virginia, May 16, 2022. Foy had her colon removed at the University of Virginia's Health System in 2016. She later developed a dangerous infection from the surgery and her medical bills exceeded her insurance limit of $1 million. When she and her husband couldn't pay her bills, the University of Virginia sued her for more than $700,000, forcing her and her husband to file for bankruptcy.

Carlos Bernate / Kaiser Health News, NPR

People react outside the SSGT Willie de Leon Civic Center, where students had been transported from Robb Elementary School after a shooting, May 24, 2022 in Uvalde, Texas, U.S.

People react outside the SSGT Willie de Leon Civic Center, where students had been transported from Robb Elementary School after a shooting, May 24, 2022 in Uvalde, Texas, U.S.

Marco Bello / Reuters

June

A woman hugs her boyfriend before police officers take him into a provisional detention center, other women ask for their relatives arrested on June 16th, 2022 in San Salvador, El Salvador. Since the end of March 58,000 people, included 1.600 kids, have been arrested in El Salvador during the state of emergency declared by President Nayib Bukele to fight gangs.

A woman hugs her boyfriend before police officers take him into a provisional detention center, other women ask for their relatives arrested on June 16th, 2022 in San Salvador, El Salvador. Since the end of March 58,000 people, included 1.600 kids, have been arrested in El Salvador during the state of emergency declared by President Nayib Bukele to fight gangs.

Fred Ramos / New Yorker

Zain, 12 years old, swims in the sea for the third time in his life, June 17, 2022 in Beirut, Lebanon. Zain is Palestinian but was born and raised in Damascus, Syria. Growing up in amidst Syria’s long years of war, the sea was out of reach for him and his family. “The water is like a stranger,” said Zain. “First it fights with you, then it is your friend.”

Zain, 12 years old, swims in the sea for the third time in his life, on June 17, 2022 in Beirut, Lebanon. Zain is Palestinian but was born and raised in Damascus, Syria. Growing up stateless amidst Syria’s long years of war, the sea was mostly out of reach for him and his family. “The water is like a stranger,” said Zain. “First it fights with you, then it is your friend.”

Chris Thao Trinh

Ten-year-olds Aubrey Gómez, Callie Sánchez, Gina Gatto, and Gabriela Jiménez smell the roses that were given to them before the game in honor of the victims of the mass shooting that resulted in the death of 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas on June 18, 2022. The girls said they knew some of the victims of the mass shooting.

Ten-year-olds Aubrey Gómez, Callie Sánchez, Gina Gatto, and Gabriela Jiménez smell the roses that were given to them before the game in honor of the victims of the mass shooting that resulted in the death of 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas on June 18, 2022. The girls said they knew some of the victims of the mass shooting.

Verónica G. Cárdenas / ESPN

BET MGM campaign.

BETMGM campaign.

Erik Umphery / BETMGM

Kyle Casey Chu (Panda Dulce) is a San Francisco born-and-raised writer and one of the founding queens of the Drag Queen Story Hour. Her work centers Queer & Trans People of Color (QTPOC) stories, atraditional chosen families and displaced San Franciscans. In June 2022, far-right extremists stormed her Drag Queen Story Hour. After authorities failed to identify, disperse or cite the extremists, she finished the reading for the children and their families.

Kyle Casey Chu (Panda Dulce) is a San Francisco born-and-raised writer and one of the founding queens of the Drag Queen Story Hour. Her work centers Queer & Trans People of Color (QTPOC) stories, atraditional chosen families and displaced San Franciscans. In June 2022, far-right extremists stormed her Drag Queen Story Hour. After authorities failed to identify, disperse or cite the extremists, she finished the reading for the children and their families.

Gabriela Hasbun / Vogue

July

Relatives and friends react as the bodies of Jair Valencia, Misael Olivares, and Yovani Valencia arrive to their family house in San Marcos Atexquilapan, Veracruz, Mexico on July 13, 2022. The three were among a group of migrants who died of heat and dehydration in a locked trailer-truck abandoned by smugglers on the outskirts of San Antonio, Texas, on June 27.

Relatives and friends react as the bodies of Jair Valencia, Misael Olivares, and Yovani Valencia arrive to their family house in San Marcos Atexquilapan, Veracruz, Mexico on July 13, 2022. The three were among a group of migrants who died of heat and dehydration in a locked trailer-truck abandoned by smugglers on the outskirts of San Antonio, Texas, on June 27.

Felix Marquez / Associated Press

Professor Luke Jacobus, a world renown entomologist and expert on mayflies, holds a mayfly specimen in his lab at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, on July 23, 2022. Mayflies are widely considered “biosensors” and are being studied to further understand climate change.

Professor Luke Jacobus, a world renown entomologist and expert on mayflies, holds a mayfly specimen in his lab at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, on July 23, 2022. Mayflies are widely considered “biosensors” and are being studied to further understand climate change.

Mustafa Hussain / Washington Post Magazine

Swicha Grefa lays on the land covered in lianas, as she poses for a portrait in the Atatakuinjia community, Sapara territory in the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest on July 7, 2022.

Swicha Grefa lays on the land covered in lianas, as she poses for a portrait in the Atatakuinjia community, Sapara territory, of the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest on July 7, 2022. Swicha is part of a collective called Yarishaya Itiumu, "Blooming Women," whose vision is to weave Sapara ancestral knowledge to address the patterns of cultural separation that have emerged due to colonization.

Tatiana Lopez / Photographers without Borders

August

A family of five walks towards their home after visiting a nearby playground in their Richmond, Virginia neighborhood, August 17, 2022.

Kate Thompson and Nick Feucht juggle getting their three children, bike, and scooter home after enjoying time at a nearby playground in their neighborhood in Richmond, Virginia. Parenting since the pandemic has become harder than usual with shortages in childcare centers and afterschool programs.

Cornell Watson

September

Heider Rodríguez watches how his daughter María Fernanda, 11, caresses Anabelle, a mini-horse, during an equinetherapy session in the Imbanaco Clinic, in Cali, on September 29, 2022. María Fernanda suffered third degree burns after an accident in the kitchen of her home.

Heider Rodríguez watches how his daughter María Fernanda, 11, caresses Anabelle, a mini-horse, during an equinetherapy session in the Imbanaco Clinic, in Cali, Colombia, on September 29, 2022. María Fernanda suffered third degree burns after an accident in the kitchen of her home.

Jair Fernando Coll Rubiano

October

A view of the destroyed road between Matlacha and Pine Island after Hurricane Ian caused widespread destruction in Matlacha, Florida, U.S., October 2, 2022.

A view of the destroyed road between Matlacha and Pine Island after Hurricane Ian caused widespread destruction in Matlacha, Florida, U.S., October 2, 2022.

Marco Bello / Reuters

November

People visit the grave of their loved ones during All Saints' Day (also known as the commemoration of All the Faithful Departed), which is a day of prayer and remembrance for the souls of those who have died in Tay Ninh province, Vietnam, November 2, 2022.

People visit the grave of their loved ones during All Saints' Day (also known as the commemoration of All the Faithful Departed), which is a day of prayer and remembrance for the souls of those who have died in Tay Ninh province, Vietnam, November 2, 2022.

Thanh Hue

Rabbis gather to pose for a group photo in front of the Chabad-Lubavitch world headquarters in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, New York, U.S., November 15, 2022.

Rabbis gather to pose for a group photo in front of the Chabad-Lubavitch world headquarters in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, New York, U.S., November 15, 2022.

David Dee Delgado / Reuters

Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Mexico's president, stands during a rally celebrating the upcoming fourth anniversary of his rule in Mexico City, Mexico, November 27, 2022. Hundreds of thousands of Mexicans walked trough the streets to show their support for the president amid pushback to his political agenda in recent weeks.

Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Mexico's president, stands during a rally celebrating the upcoming fourth anniversary of his rule in Mexico City, Mexico, November 27, 2022. Hundreds of thousands of Mexicans walked trough the streets to show their support for the president amid pushback to his political agenda in recent weeks.

Luis Antonio Rojas / New York Times

Amy & Tristan poses for a portrait in their Lower East Side apartment.

Amy and Tristan poses for a portrait in their Lower East Side apartment. The two met on Instagram when Tristian commented on one of Amy's photos. “I eventually invited her to a Trans Lady Picnic," Amy said about how they eventually met in-person for the first time. “Trans women face an extra level of scrutiny and judgment for displaying any level of sexuality,” she explains. "Trans love is a celebration. It's a proclamation of self-acceptance," Tristan says.

Ebru Yildiz / BUST Magazine