Jun 16, 2022

In February 2021, author and multimedia journalist Jamal Jordan announced his upcoming debut photography book, ”Queer Love in Color.” Based on Jordan’s impactful 2018 article in The New York Times of the same title, “Queer Love in Color” is “a celebration of the joy and romance that queer couples and families of color share,” said Jordan.

For the introduction to “Queer Love in Color,” Jordan poignantly wove together his outlook on representation and love as a Black gay man, insights from social and sexual orientation scholars, and heartfelt comments from the book’s featured subjects. The result is a cocktail that both eases, through affirmations of feelings felt, and disturbs, by prompting acknowledgement that a book like this is still needed in 2022.

Featured subject “Thomas” is quoted saying, “I think it would’ve been important for me, as a child, to see things that told me: You exist in this world. You don’t have to hide yourself. You can be authentically, 100 percent yourself and aspire to what you want and find love and live your life unapologetically and unashamed.” While these affirmations may not come regularly, or at all, from the media, Jordan has created a tangible record of queer people of color in love. He’s told their stories in totality with respect, grace and adoration, challenging and evolving the image of what it means to be queer and in love.

A gift to his younger self — who once asked, “Why do no gay people look like me?” — “Queer Love in Color” is now available for purchase and currently gracing coffee tables and shelves across Brooklyn, where Jordan has called home for eight years.