A Day in Gay America, 2010

What does it look like to be gay in America in 2010? There are some people who insist that if you don’t look like a stereotype, you’re just not doing it right. But the truth is that our gay lives are simultaneously as mundane as those of our heterosexual peers and more wildly varied than even we acknowledge at times. This documentary project, for which we asked our readers to submit photos of their own lives on one single day—May 21, 2010—is the first of a kind for The Advocate. And the results speak beautifully for themselves. Each picture serves as a reminder—to ourselves and to others—that we are undeniable, we are unique, and that no one has the right to tell us who we should love or how we should express ourselves.

This portfolio includes the 35 images from the print issue of the magazine. Check back Monday, July 19 for part two of our four part series.