For the past ten years, photographer Jeff Sheng has made it his mission to shine a light on issues affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans through his work. In this 99U presentation, Sheng shares Fearless, a project on “out” athletes on high school and college sports teams and Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, a series that shows closeted members of the armed services with their faces obstructed. “These brave men and women were serving our country, going to war, yet they couldn’t be open about who they were,” he says.
Sheng shares how important (and difficult) it was to build trust amongst his subjects, and how the tide of social change affected his work’s visibility. ”Whatever creative process, we have a responsibility to the potential of our power…It can’t just be about what brings us fame and fortune.”