The collection will be landing on 28 June to mark the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising
BY ELEANOR NOYCE, IMAGE BY PROUD NATION/JORDAN ROSSI
To mark the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising on 28 June, leading members of the LGBTQI community from Lady Phyll to Bimini Bon Boulash will be appearing in a new portraiture series conceived by photographer Jordan Rossi. Entitled Proud Nation and supported by Stonewall, Models of Diversity and creative agency RANKIN, the collection will be featuring huge names including broadcaster, author & YouTuber Riyadh Khalaf, stylist and model Kyle De’Volle, actor Nathaniel Curtis (It’s A Sin) and, impressively, founding members of the Gay Liberation Front.
Activists Yasmin Benoit, Ruby Rare and Dani St James will similarly appear, alongside athlete Lizzie Williams and musician RoXXXan. Aiming to tackle the lack of diversity in advertising, the project looks to provide some much-needed LGBTQI representation. Speaking on the project, Jordan Rossi states: “I’ve always strived to make work I wish I had seen when I was younger and this is exactly that. Representation in advertising is extremely narrow. Even in 2022”.
“I wanted to create a snapshot of the community to reflect how it stands today. From disabled LGBTQI people to those who are asexual to the original trailblazers who fought for our rights to the activists who are changing the perceptions of what it means to be LGBTQ+ today”.
Models of Diversity campaign for diversity across the fashion, beauty and marketing industries, stating of the project: “As a charity we have spent the last 10 years campaigning for more diversity and inclusion for every age, size, colour, ability and sexuality in the advertising industry. With more than a third of LGBTQI adults identifying as having a disability, it was so important for us to collaborate on this innovative project to help highlight the intersections between disability and LGBTQI identity”.
“Both communities are seriously underrepresented in the media and we love that this project not only represents the trailblazers of the past but also reflects the community today”. For more information, visit the Proud Nation website. To keep up with Models of Diversity in their fight for advertising equality, catch them on Twitter and Instagram.
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