‘Queer Americana’ Pt. 16: Denzel
By James Dillon III & Denzel
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
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.
“My queerness is subversive. It’s dually a reflection of my truth and a refraction of the mythos society spews on what I should look like or do. You may view me, but only I get to hold the mirror on my identity.”
-Denzel
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.