Mia Vasquez

Queer Documentary Photographer
    
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Stories (2)
Location: New York City/Dominican Republic
Biography: Mia Vasquez (b. 1996) is a queer documentary photographer based in New York and Santo Domingo. Her documentary practice involves challenging stereotypes and concepts through a sociological lens, while exploring the intersections of identity,... MORE
School:
The City College of New York
Public Story
[Untitled]
Copyright Mia Vasquez 2024
Updated Jan 2022
Location Dominican Republic
Topics Community, Culture, Documentary, Freedom, Gay, Gay Rights, Gender, Love, Personal Project, Personal Projects, Photojournalism, Portraiture, Queer, Spotlight
Summary
We are witnessing a global destabilization of the heteronormative binary and seeing changes in social climates. The power structures of heteronormativity, the strong history of Catholicism and Christianity in Dominican cultura plays a big role in the lives and safety of cuir/LGBTQ+ identifying people. This body of work exists to challenge colonial traditions on gender politics and heteronormativity. To empower the voices of the LGBTQ+ people in a heavy dominated religious country.
Documenting intimacy and queerness in the Dominican Republic.

In July of 2021, the senate in the Dominican Republic approved the penal code that excludes sexual orientation and gender identity as grounds for discrimination. This means, in the event of the LGBTQ+ community being excluded from any health service, from any employment, and any commercial establishment, it will not be considered discrimination. The reformation of DR’s penal code will affect the lives of LGBTQ+ folks in the Dominican Republic. We are witnessing a global destabilization of the heteronormative binary and seeing changes in social climates. The power structures of heteronormativity, the strong history of Catholicism and Christianity in Dominican cultura plays a big role in the lives and safety of cuir/LGBTQ+ identifying people. This body of work exists to challenge colonial traditions on gender politics and heteronormativity. To empower the voices of the LGBTQ+ people in a heavy dominated religious country.

As apart of my fellowship year, I am living in the Dominican Republic documenting my experience of being a queer Dominican American going back to their roots through self portraiture, as well as, documenting the lives of Dominican LGBTQ+ folks and their experience. What does it mean to be LGBTQ+in the Dominican Republic? And what does that look like?
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