PHOTOS: Finding Beauty in Skid Row

"Skid Row can be a very dark place," says photographer Beth Stirnaman, who works for Lamp Community, a nonprofit organization serving the homeless, located in Los Angeles's Skid Row neighborhood. Stirnaman explains that discrimination in housing and employment often leads to homelessness for many transgender Americans. Once homeless, trans people face additional hurdles when seeking compassionate housing and health services. Stirnaman's evocative portraits of transgender individuals on Skid Row shine light into the darkness, intimately showing the irredeemable humanity of 15 people who stake their claim to beauty in the dystopia of the streets. Click through to bear witness.

At left: Octavia Hamlett

Photography by Beth Stirnaman/LampCommunity.org