The Forbidden Love

In Bangladesh, having been abandoned by family and friends, transgender people are subject to extensive daily abuse. The existing and continuously growing transphobia and homophobia in society are obstacles in the trajectory of enlightenment for an individual. The featured individuals of the LGBTQ+ community share a wide variety of such life narratives.

As a photo story, “The Forbidden Love” seeks to elevate and celebrate love, portraying their desire to live with and within love. The vividness in their expressions, their enchanting bonding with partners, and the simplistic honesty made these photographs possible, catalyzing the compartmentalization of the existing stereotypes. Perhaps this project is a leap to explore the infinite and beautiful gradient of the representation of love; it is an attempt to redefine love beyond the gender identities and stigmas through the true reflection of their personas. The photographs and interviews in “The Forbidden Love” have been used as photographic tableaux.

“The Forbidden Love” is a collaborative photo project with the LGBTQR+ community in Bangladesh. They have been fighting for their fundamental rights of loving with chosen ones and rights to live with equal rights. Using interviews with the LGBTQR+ community in Bangladesh as source material to recreate their memories into photographic montages.