Photographic exhibition sheds light on gay elderly community members

SYDNEY photographer Richard Hedger has taken intimate portraits of an underrepresented part of the LGBTI community in his latest exhibition as part of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras festival.

National Treasures portrays the oft-overlooked generation of LGBTI people who are over the age of 65.

“We are born gay and we die gay,” Hedger said.

“My intention is to challenge and break down stereotypical preconceptions of the LGBTI community”.

In a culture typically associated with representations of young, fit, hedonistic people, the exhibition celebrates the lives of the gay and the elderly.

“This project gave me the opportunity to meet and intimately portray a group of wonderful people who have lived rich and interesting lives and also happen to be ‘gay’.” Hedger said.

His subjects have diverse backgrounds – activist, minister, actor, nurse, lecturer, artist – but share a history of witnessing, enduring, and contributing to greater social change.

National Treasures exhibits from February 25 to March 8, at Muse Studio, 155 Little Oxford St, Darlinghurst. Admission is free.

Visit the Facebook event page or Mardi Gras page for exhibition times.