Growing up, Jamal Jordan, a black digital editor at The New York Times, used to wonder why other members of the LGBTIQ+ community didn't look like him.
"By the time I was 18 and living in Detroit, being gay was no longer a 'problem' for me," Jordan wrote in a touching oped and photos essay for The Times.
"I was out of the closet, and my family and friends were supportive, even encouraging. Yet, as I set off for college, and grew more comfortable calling myself an adult, a man — a gay black man — I was convinced that no one would ever date or love me."
That's why Jordan was so determined to shoot a series of portraits, titled Queer Love in Colour, that represented those like him - what he called a gift to his younger self.
"I spent most of my teenage years believing that love between two black men wasn’t even possible," he wrote of the series.
"To my queer white peers, an entire world of change was unfolding: Public support for same-gender marriage eventually led to its legalisation nationwide, and queer people were appearing as the leads in more TV shows than I could ever watch. People even won Oscars for directing movies about gay white cowboys.
"But none of these people looked like me."
Jordan continued, explaining the purpose of his work: "As a visual journalist, I believe pictures can connect with people in a way that other forms of media can’t
"To this end, I decided to give a gift to my younger self: the imagery of queer love I’ve never seen. Queer love in colour."
