Documentary project - BELA VARADI

Faye and Janie - Bristol, UK 2013

"Back in the old days we wouldnt be able to safely be our authentic selves.

We wouldnt be free to be who we truly were. We are lucky to have our community behind us. Some of the wider community still stands with the traditional outlook on sexuality, gender but we hope that more people willcome out from the GRT community and feel safe to do so” - says Faye Freeman who lives with her fiancée, Janie Turtle, and their dog Tula and cat Cindy in this green caravan on the outskirts of Bristol.

@Bela Varadi

Faye and Janie - Bristol, UK 2013

"Back in the old days we wouldnt be able to safely be our authentic selves.

We wouldnt be free to be who we truly were. We are lucky to have our community behind us. Some of the wider community still stands with the traditional outlook on sexuality, gender but we hope that more people willcome out from the GRT community and feel safe to do so” - says Faye Freeman who lives with her fiancée, Janie Turtle, and their dog Tula and cat Cindy in this green caravan on the outskirts of Bristol.

@Bela Varadi

"Sorry, but I'm Not Sorry" is a photographic celebration of resilience and identity. It captures the journey of LGBTQ+ individuals within the Gypsy, Roma, Traveller (GRT) community who proudly embrace both aspects of their identity. Through conceptual photography and personal narratives, this project challenges stereotypes, fosters self-acceptance, and contributes to a more inclusive and empathetic society. Pictures presenting GRT and LGBTQ+ identities often focus on the struggles the subjects had to go through; however, I wanted to create a positive narrative with these pictures by encouraging my subjects to imagine what enabled them to be more confident with their dual identities and focus on these enabling factors rather than delve into historical struggles.

Nico - Brighton, UK 2023

Society designates gender identities at birth; boys and girls are marked with colours, even though there are so many other expressions of identities - says Nico, who has been fighting since birth to be accepted by his community as a proud Gypsy and non-binary person.

@Bela Varadi

Nico - Brighton, UK 2023

Society designates gender identities at birth; boys and girls are marked with colours, even though there are so many other expressions of identities - says Nico, who has been fighting since birth to be accepted by his community as a proud Gypsy and non-binary person.

@Bela Varadi

Percy and Roo - London, UK 2023

Percy and Roo experience taking their dual identities in public for the first time in their lives; Queer and Gypsy at the same time, without fear or reservation.

@Bela Varadi

Percy and Roo - London, UK 2023

Percy and Roo experience taking their dual identities in public for the first time in their lives; Queer and Gypsy at the same time, without fear or reservation.

@Bela Varadi

Norbi and his friends - Budapest, Hungary 2023

'It is my duty to fight for our rights' - The 23-year-old Norbi gives workshops to students and teachers in Hungarian secondary schools on how to make the classroom a more inclusive community space for Gypsy students. Inclusivity workshops in the centralised Hungarian education system are discouraged, and so-called 'queer contents' are banned from schools, making Norbi's line of work extremely peculiar.

(left to right - Anna Bokor, Eszter Hegedus-1, Norbert Horvath, Lena Palfy, Eszter Hegedus -2 )

@Bela Varadi

Norbi and his friends - Budapest, Hungary 2023

'It is my duty to fight for our rights' - The 23-year-old Norbi gives workshops to students and teachers in Hungarian secondary schools on how to make the classroom a more inclusive community space for Gypsy students. Inclusivity workshops in the centralised Hungarian education system are discouraged, and so-called 'queer contents' are banned from schools, making Norbi's line of work extremely peculiar.

(left to right - Anna Bokor, Eszter Hegedus-1, Norbert Horvath, Lena Palfy, Eszter Hegedus -2 )

@Bela Varadi

A couple portrait of Faye and Janie - Bristol, UK 2023

There are still significant taboos and reservations about the expressions of the LGBTQ+ lifestyle in GRT communities, and LGBTQ+ members of the GRT communities often face homophobia or are forced to leave their communities when coming out to their families.

@Bela Varadi

A couple portrait of Faye and Janie - Bristol, UK 2023

There are still significant taboos and reservations about the expressions of the LGBTQ+ lifestyle in GRT communities, and LGBTQ+ members of the GRT communities often face homophobia or are forced to leave their communities when coming out to their families.

@Bela Varadi

Roo challenging stereotypes - London, UK 2023

A playful image of Roo holding a board challenging stereotypes that Gypsies are all about fortune-telling and mysticism.

Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller people sometimes face difficulties in receiving support from LGBTQ+ organisations, and they could face anti-gypsy hatred when trying to express their dual identities. As LGBTQ+ and GRT people are amongst the groups facing the highest rate of mental health difficulties and suicide, it is essential and, in a way, life-saving to initiate new ways of discussions about the specific struggles of LGBTQ+ GRT communities.

@Bela Varadi

Roo challenging stereotypes - London, UK 2023

A playful image of Roo holding a board challenging stereotypes that Gypsies are all about fortune-telling and mysticism.

Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller people sometimes face difficulties in receiving support from LGBTQ+ organisations, and they could face anti-gypsy hatred when trying to express their dual identities. As LGBTQ+ and GRT people are amongst the groups facing the highest rate of mental health difficulties and suicide, it is essential and, in a way, life-saving to initiate new ways of discussions about the specific struggles of LGBTQ+ GRT communities.

@Bela Varadi

Nico is standing in front of her favourite place, the burned-down Old Pier - Brighton, UK 2023

Creating a photographic representation of LGBTQ+ GRT people could also challenge the stereotypes that members of the GRT communities are always living in traditional heteronormative families and could create new narratives about GRT experiences.

@Bela Varadi

Nico is standing in front of her favourite place, the burned-down Old Pier - Brighton, UK 2023

Creating a photographic representation of LGBTQ+ GRT people could also challenge the stereotypes that members of the GRT communities are always living in traditional heteronormative families and could create new narratives about GRT experiences.

@Bela Varadi

Norbi and his friends - 2 Budapest, Hungary 2023

According to a new law in Hungary, all literary works with LGBTQ+ content should only be distributed covered up in foil and should not be sold to children. Bookshops failing to comply could face huge fines.

@Bela Varadi

Norbi and his friends - 2 Budapest, Hungary 2023

According to a new law in Hungary, all literary works with LGBTQ+ content should only be distributed covered up in foil and should not be sold to children. Bookshops failing to comply could face huge fines.

@Bela Varadi

‘I'm a Traveller and I am a Queer! Sorry, but I'm not sorry anymore!’ Bristol, UK 2023

A portrait of Faye in front of the factory building, which serves as the surrounding of the caravan site where she lives with Janie.

@Bela Varadi

‘I'm a Traveller and I am a Queer! Sorry, but I'm not sorry anymore!’ Bristol, UK 2023

A portrait of Faye in front of the factory building, which serves as the surrounding of the caravan site where she lives with Janie.

@Bela Varadi

Roo giving a flower to a little girl - London, UK 2023

Roo challenging the misconception that gypsies are all about selling flowers and being close to nature.

Focusing on these positive narratives can help us to move away from the victim narratives often used by non-gypsy photographers when photographing GRT subjects.

@Bela Varadi

Roo giving a flower to a little girl - London, UK 2023

Roo challenging the misconception that gypsies are all about selling flowers and being close to nature.

Focusing on these positive narratives can help us to move away from the victim narratives often used by non-gypsy photographers when photographing GRT subjects.

@Bela Varadi

Nico is experiencing all the colours on the beach - Brighton, UK 2023

@Bela Varadi

Nico is experiencing all the colours on the beach - Brighton, UK 2023

@Bela Varadi

"I fight every day" - Budapest, Hungary 2023

Norbi and his friends and colleagues are preparing to take a revolutionary pose.

After taking this picture, I visited a museum in Hungary where photos with LGBTQ+ content were fenced off from other pictures and children were not allowed to look at those pictures. 'Would anyone in Hungary with institutionalised homophobia and anti-gypsy sentiment be able to see my photos?' - I wondered.

@Bela Varadi

"I fight every day" - Budapest, Hungary 2023

Norbi and his friends and colleagues are preparing to take a revolutionary pose.

After taking this picture, I visited a museum in Hungary where photos with LGBTQ+ content were fenced off from other pictures and children were not allowed to look at those pictures. 'Would anyone in Hungary with institutionalised homophobia and anti-gypsy sentiment be able to see my photos?' - I wondered.

@Bela Varadi