Photographer Pieter Hugo Teams up With Hood By Air for a Photo Book of Jamaica's Male Porn Stars
Capturing the lives of the island nation’s “gully queens.”
Pieter Hugo is an accomplished South African photographer who has made a name for himself through his expressive imagery collection of various African communities. His new project sees him join creative forces with esteemed streetwear label Hood By Air for a new book titled PH & HBA. Turning to a highly controversial subject, Hugo turns his lens towards Jamaica’s male porn stars and “Gully Queens” — a condemned gay community within Kingston who have been cast out by society forced to live in drains beneath the city. Amongst the arresting photo snaps is an in-conversation essay with Carlos Nazario which touches upon the nation’s laws on homosexuality, as being gay is still punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
“I was learning about these Gully Queens, who’ve been kicked out of their homes, they’ve been disowned and had to find family amongst one another, and they were forced to live in a gully, hence their name,” explains Nazario. “They are frequently attacked by citizens and police alike, and they live as sex workers, they attack one another.” Scroll through the gallery above and find out more about the book online here.
