Introspection & Isolation

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

Selections from The LGBT Community Center National History Archive's LGBTQuarantine Archive Project collection

Welcome to one of three exhibits highlighting contributions to The LGBT Community Center's LGBTQuarantine Archive Project, an open call to collect stories representing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine on our community.

Untitled [Self Portrait] (2020) by Oliver Estrella (he/him/his)The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

Introspection & isolation

As lives are transformed by the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis, many have turned inwards through reflection and introspection. In self-portraits, journal entries, and other mediums, themes of fear, nostalgia, and hope overlap and intersect. For some, solitude has served as a painful reminder of loneliness and pain, while for others it has fostered compassion and gratitude--or, all told, a sincere and ambivalent admixture. These deeply personal, vulnerable responses are as diverse as the varied experiences of the community. 

Quote (2020) by Oliver Estrella (he/him/his)The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

Excerpt from answers to the Archive Project's questionnaire checking in with each contributor.

Journal Entry (2020) by Ainsley Meyer (she/her/hers)The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

Journal Entry by Ainsley Meyer

“I find hope in all the mutual aid I've seen happening. I find hope in the way my housemates are taking care of each other. I find hope in myself, as I'm still out there trying to help others, proving to myself that when shit hits the fan we don't stop caring about one another.” Ainsley Meyer

Journal Entry (2020) by Ainsley Meyer (she/her/hers)The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

Journal Entry (2020) by Ainsley Meyer (she/her/hers)The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

I Weep for My City (2020-04-01) by Bruce Monroe (he/him/his)The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

Excerpt (part 1) from a blog post by Bruce Monroe: http://evillagernyc.blogspot.com/

I Weep for My City (2020-04-01) by Bruce Monroe (he/him/his)The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

Excerpt (part 2) from a blog post by Bruce Monroe: http://evillagernyc.blogspot.com/

Coffee Brewing Routine (2020) by Arielle Gordon (she/they)The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

Untitled [Self-Portrait] (2020) by Anonymous (she/her/hers)The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

Untitled [Self-Portrait] by Anonymous

"[I've contributed] photographs embracing my gender as a transwoman in isolation during shelter-in-place. The images mean a lot to me because of how far I've come in my transition. They've been an important part of loving myself even in a world that alienates and rejects women like me. Women like me have had their throat slit open in rogue street attacks. I've also been assaulted before by transphobic men so I always wonder if COVID-19 doesn't claim my life, will they? Transphobia is also a virus.”

April 25, 2020: A Chance Encounter Years from Now. (2020) by Meghann Garmany (she/her/hers)The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

Prose piece (part 1) by Meghann Garmany.

April 25, 2020: A Chance Encounter Years from Now. (2020) by Meghann Garmany (she/her/hers)The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

Prose piece (part 2) by Meghann Garmany.

Quote (2020) by Lily Olsen (she/her/hers)The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

Excerpt from answers to the Archive Project's questionnaire checking in with each contributor.

Credits: Story

Curated by Veena Bobba in July, 2020 for The Center Archive. Special thanks to Dante Hussein, Caitlin McCarthy, and Avery Novitch--and all of the contributors to the project.

Titles in brackets were supplied by the curator.

To learn more about and contribute to The LGBTQuarantine Archive Project, visit https://gaycenter.org/lgbtquarantine/

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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