Country Queer

Lifting up LGBTQ+ voices in country and Americana.

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‘Queer Americana’ Pt. 15: Sadie, Bri, & Missy

By James Dillon III & Sadie

We reached out to Maine-based photographer James Dillon III earlier this year about running their ‘Queer Americana’ series on CQ and we’re proud to finally be able to bring it to you.

Photographed on a road trip across the country, Dillon’s series pushes buttons by setting up curious contrasts and juxtapositions, sometimes subtle and sometimes not. It’s a reflection of how queerness feels in our own personal spaces versus how it feels in the larger world around us—it is simultaneously familiar and foreign.

‘Queer Americana’ is a reminder of how one size doesn’t fit all. And yet, each of us must find ways of being in the world and ways to feel comfortable in our own skin. It is, at times, challenging.

Welcome to #queeramericana

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A Honky-Tonk of Our Own

Please read Dillon’s primer for the series, visit their website, or consider becoming a Patreon subscriber.

To enjoy the latest from this series, subscribe to the Queer Americana YouTube channel, where you can view episodes of the new Queer Americana docuseries from James Dillon III and Ryan Vachenzo.


“I used to be afraid of my Queerness. 

I used to think that people would no longer see me for who I am before I came out, that “lesbian” would be the only thing they saw. I didn’t want them to think that I’ve changed just because I’m gay. I’m still loud, goofy, and funny. And damn it, I’m still loveable. 

But my Queerness has in fact changed me. 

My Queerness elevates me and allows my personality to shine brighter. I’m louder and braver now. I laugh more and love harder, and that shit is contagious. 

To truly love myself is to revel in my Queerness.”

-Sadie


James Dillon III is an artist living in Portland, Maine. A self-styled Renaissance Queer, they use photography, writing, and performance art to explore, celebrate, and challenge the world around them.