Charles Meacham and Sarah Baxter have embarked upon an ambitious project at a time and age when much cynicism surrounds gay pride celebrations- both within gay and straight people. The project called “Word Wide Pride” captures in moments of photographic genius Pride parades across the world. As Charles and Sarah travel across the globe, Pink Pages talked to them about their venture.
How did the WWP Project come about? What was the motivation and what did you hope to achieve through it?
The project was developed both from following the debates on gay right issues in the news, and experiencing the energy of the Taipei Pride March. Through images of pride we aspire to promote LGBT pride on an international scale, and to increase awareness by the heterosexual community regarding basic human right issues.
Gay rights, like all human rights, is a topic that we both sincerely and enthusiastically support. We really hope we can encourage other people to see it in this light, and that through this project we can help promote acceptance of equal human rights.
Charles and Sarah
When did it start and how long will it be on?
The first pride march photographed was Taipei pride last October. The vibrancy of 25,000 people gathering in Taiwan to support LGBT rights led us to really start thinking about pride from a global perspective. It led us to question how pride parades are held in different countries around the world, those in Asia, Africa, North and South America, and Europe, those where homosexuality is more accepted, and those where it is not.
Of course, one of our most basic challenges is how to effectively cover a range of parades that not only are often held during the same month — June, but are also usually on the same day, so as to commemorate the Stonewall Riots.
While our original plan was to complete the project within a year, we decided to extend the project to 14 months, so we would be able to cover additional pride parades. At the end, we are hoping to set up a gallery exhibit of the photos taken during this project, along with a multimedia display of the issues and stories behind the marches.
Which cities have you covered so far and which ones are on your radar? Any plans to visit India?
So far we have documented the Taipei, Manila, and Sydney marches. It’s been a special experience as each has been very unique. As the level of societal acceptance, support, and legal equality for gay communities vary at each parade location around the world, it’s interesting to be able to document the similarities and contrasts. Some of the key stops on our intended international journey will be the pride parades held in Minsk, Bucharest, Jerusalem, London, Warsaw, Amsterdam, Mumbai, Tokyo, New York City, and the largest pride parade in the world held in São Paulo.
From the very beginning, pride events in India were high on our list of places we hoped to visit. Both Charles and I are extremely fond of India, especially as Amritsar in Punjab is the place where we first met.
Sydney Mardi Gras
We are very impressed by how many pride marches have been organized in India, and the passion of the marchers. We are truly delighted to attend this year’s Queer Azaadi march in Mumbai.
How have you found the experience so far? Any special moments?
Being able to participate in the marches is an incredible life experience. I think anyone who has been a part of just one of these events can tell you about this feeling of positive energy and good will that is created. In each of the three parades I’ve photographed, there has been a moment where I’ve just stepped back and thought, “Wow, this is really happening.” Then just for a minute or two, I put my cameras down and really just try to absorb everything that is going on around me. It gets pretty emotional. I just feel so positive at that moment, that with all of this energy, things are going to change. They have to change.
You have been making extensive use of the internet to showcase your work till now…
One of the goals of this project is to make it easily accessible. That’s why we are using a digital platform to promote and showcase the images collected during this project. We’d also like to encourage the networking of those who feel passionate about these issues via social media technologies, and would like to personally invite supports to connect with the project on Facebook, Flickr, and even Youtube.
