on Muxhe s and Kote s

Vittorio d´Onofri view on Muxhe´s and Gmb Akash on the Kote´s seem to be observing the survival and way of life of 2 minority comunities in Oaxaca and Bangladesh.

Vittorio: "In the town of Juchitan de Zaragoza (pop.80.000) I met the seven people who are the subjects of my photographs and was graciously invited into their homes hoping to enter the context in which they live. The Juchitec family, and above all the mother, embraces unconditionally her homosexual (Muxhe) son. Here the transsexual is fully integrated into the social fabric.
My project focuses on their daily life, and in particular on their family and work environment, which is where most of their days unfold. These men simply want to be women. They embody the very nature of femininity."

Akash: "Shame Akash ! Don’t show us these pictures. It’s a sin even to look at them.”

This was the reaction of Jhomur, my sister-in-law, to my story about a group of homosexual men living in my neighborhood. Her reaction is typical. Religious beliefs and cultural standards of morality make homosexuality an unacceptable abomination in Bangladesh. The kote, as gays are called locally, are ostracized and thus live together in small communities. Yet social stigma is not enough to dent their unshakeable faith in life."

Here are two projects that use photography as evidence of these subcultures and at the same time we have two photographers that believe that to document this will in some way create a social concious about the the gay and transexual community.


http://www.gmb-akash.com/homos.html