GLAAD's Aaron McQuade Interviews Scott Pasfield
Creator of GAY IN AMERICA
AM Where did the
idea for this book come from?
SP: People always
tell you to shoot what you love. You have to start with yourself. The epiphany
came one night at home. I was surfing the web and realized what a powerful tool
it had become for connecting gay men across the country, from all over, and it
just dawned on me. I decided that I would meet men from every state, and photograph
them in the hopes that I could do a book that would change opinions and
educate. And that started with shooting who I was and what my passions were.
AM Why gay men?
SP: That goes
back to shooting what I am, and what I know. I originally thought that I would
like to try and shoot men and women from every state, but I really think that a
woman, or a lesbian, has to go out and do that project, to make it as strong,
to be one of them, as this project is for me and gay men. I tried at first, but
it became obvious terribly fast that I would've had to masquerade as a lesbian
to do the same project.
AM Would a book like this have made a difference to your own coming out story?
SP: Absolutely. I wish there was a book
like this when I was growing up and that is why I did it, really. I wanted to
know that I could live wherever I chose, in any place, in any state, in any
situation, in any city, in any town, and do whatever I wanted. I think there’s
a tendency today for people to stereotype gay men and while some of those
creative and flamboyant qualities might ring true, we are more than that. There
is as much diversity within the gay community as there is the heterosexual one.
If I knew earlier all the options one has as a gay man, it would have made a
difference to me in accepting myself earlier and in knowing that I’m not alone.
AM What is your favorite photograph in the book?
SP: I think,
having made a point of never leaving a shoot until I had a photograph or
portrait worthy of being in a book, really makes them all favorites. I love
them all.
AM Tell me what you want people to get out of this book. You mentioned your story, and obviously gay people who aren’t out themselves are going to get one thing out of it, but what about somebody who’s never met a gay person?
SP: I want the
book to be an introduction to gay people for those that need it. I want it is a
voice for the gay community. I want people to know that gay men are everywhere,
and in many instances, live quietly under the radar, contributing to society. I
want young people to have it as a resource as they move forward in their lives.
I want people to understand us better and I want us to understand ourselves
better. This is hopefully what
this book will do
AM Tell us about your cover choice?
Up until this last year, having a uniformed gay soldier on
the cover would not have been possible. Today it is, thanks to people like Dan.
His stand against Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and the injustice that it is/was is
admirable. He helped right such an incredible wrong that was the basis for so
much hatred. When I shot him in his uniform out on that snow-covered street in
Cambridge, I saw a man that was proud of all he was and all that he had
accomplished and just happened to be gay. Like every man that is in the book.
What the image does though is makes you take a second look. It made you
question your preconceived beliefs on what a gay American is.
AM This book is a collection of essays in addition to a collection of portraits; each portrait coincides with an essay. Which should people look at first?
SP: Each spread
has one essay and one photograph. You can’t help but look at the photography
first. And then you read the story. They are so beautifully written. I chose
everyone for their stories, and once I started the ball rolling, I tried never
to repeat something. Even now, after having familiarity with these stories for
years, as I read them, they’re so honest, beautiful and powerful; they’re so
emotional for me. Hopefully that will resonate with people, too, because it is
the stories that I think are going to have the most effect.
AM Why the focus on every state?
SP: It was a goal
I set for myself. I said: fifty states, I have to go to them all. It became an
obsession. I had done a lot of traveling before, but there were many states
that I had never been to and I saw it as a great opportunity to see what gay
life is really like, especially outside of the big cities. I think as a
collection, it really proved to be fascinating.
AM Were there certain places that surprised you? Did you find somebody in Boston who you would have expected to see in Montana?
SP: Oh,
absolutely. You’d always get big cowboy types coming from real urban areas, or
the Midwest, but there would also be
the guys more typical of the area. In the West I got a lot of farmers
and ranchers, and cowboys writing to me. I was always surprised to see who
wrote.
AM Did any of the stories make you laugh out loud?
SP: I think they
made me cry more than anything. So many gay men have such a tough time growing
up in our country. It’s not easy. Things are changing, there’s hope, but more
often than not, it was giving men a great opportunity to tell their story. And
a lot of them had hard stories to tell, or tough things to say.
AM Did the instructions specifically lead people to go down that road, or is that what naturally came about? Did you say, “Tell me your story?”
SP: Usually I did
use the word “story.” And I did say that I was traveling the country. The ad
went something like, “looking for great, out men who live their lives without
second guessing, and are proud of who they are, and happy with where they live.
I’m looking for men to share their stories about that, to some degree. I’m also
looking for your path – where you’ve come from, stories of coming out, or
growing up, or your family, or careers, things that define you, in addition to
being gay."
AM What is it about this project that speaks to you as an artist?
SP: It was a way
to really push myself and my art; you show up and have the person that you’re
going to be photographing with you the whole time, you have to engage them,
keep them involved in the process without boring them, and move fast so that it
can happen quickly. Usually two to three hours is what it takes me to do one of
these shoots, so somebody has to dedicate a little bit of time to it. But I
think the challenge is just never knowing what you're walking into and really
pushing yourself to try and get something to happen in front of the camera that
is an insight into that person.
AM Was the choice to shoot these on the home turf of your subjects a storytelling choice or was it an artistic challenge choice on your part?
SP: Both. To
truly give viewers an honest glimpse into these men’s worlds, I felt that
photographing in or near their homes was needed.
AM Any last thoughts?
SP: I think it’s
needed in our time and culture. With what’s going on in our country with gay
rights, the voting bloc, with issues being decided for us and how we live our
lives, every one of us needs to do what we can to make life better. I think if
more people did that and chose to take their love, and do something good with
it, we’d make the world a better place. There needed to be a book that America
could understand. I’ve become an unintentional activist with this project, and
I think it’s a great thing. I think more people should do it if they can.
AM Do you think of your subjects as activists?
SP: Many of them
are, absolutely. Just by coming forward, they become activists, even if many of
them never stepped foot in a gay and lesbian center, or marched in a parade, or
wanted to change anybody’s opinion. They're
just living their lives out and proud and by doing so, they are in a position
to change people’s minds.
Gay In America is in
stores September 27, 2011 and available online at: Amazon.com, Barnes &
Noble, IndieBound.
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