Art

rad creative of the day: photographer and documentarian carlos rodriguez uses privilege and talent for lgbtqia rights awareness

June 28, 2016

Today’s RAD CREATIVE OF THE DAY is a bold photographer named Carlos Rodriguez who is one of the few artists, activists, and politicians leading the charge for progressive social change and LGBTQIA rights and representation in the Dominican Republic. Through his photography Rodriquez, who has shot at NYC Fashion Week and the Victoria Secret Fashion Show, aims to de-stigmatize queer identities and raise awareness for the discrimination, abuse, and violence such groups regularly face in DR. “There is a lot of misrepresentation in media of the trans community, and my intention is to tell these stories from folks themselves and their personal experiences. As a gay man, I can be a trans ally and use my cisgender privilege to help de-stigmatize issues that the community faces,” Rodriguez told Remezcla.

Though we are featuring his photography work today, Rodriquez made the 2015 documentary ‘Trans’ It’ to tells the stories of trans individuals, “who live on the edge of a very constricting male and female binary in the ultra-conservative Dominican Republic.” Down below you’ll find a short editorial series featuring trans beauty pageant contestant Scarlett DosAmantes wearing pieces designed by Jose Duran.

By Erin White*, AFROPUNK contributor

Model: Scarlett DosAmantes
Clothes: Jose Duran

*Erin White is an Atlanta-based writer and AFROPUNK’s editorial and social media assistant. You can follow her on Tumblr or friend her on Facebook. Have a pitch or an inquiry? Shoot her an email at erin@afropunk.com.

Related