Tim Walker Releases 30 Signed Prints To Raise Money For LGBTQ Charity

For the June issue of British Vogue, Tim Walker and Kate Phelan travelled to Jamaica, to discover the land of free spirits, lush countryside and the magic that lies within. In the colourful and captivating story, 'Jamaican Rhapsody', models Binx Walton, Fran Summersand Adut Akech are photographed alongside some of Kingston's most well-known personalities including Jamaican musicians, writers and poets. The same story also shines a spotlight on the self-titled "Gully Queens", named for the storm drains they have been forced to reside in as part of Jamaica's homeless and displaced LGBTQ community.

The Gully Queens have both physical and mental scars as a result of living on Jamaica’s dangerous streets. Despite constant persecution and unwanted attention, "many of those from the gullies have a very natural way of expression through clothes, make-up and hair," explains Khi James, who helps run the Larry Chang Foundation which assists Jamaica's young and homeless LGBTQ people.

Disowned by family, threatened, stoned, attacked, and even shot, the Gully Queens are repeatedly evicted from spaces where they have sought refuge, and arsonists frequently set fire to their possessions. Since 2015, the Gully Queens charity has been able to secure a series of small grants that has allowed short term/emergency interventions by taking many of the homeless LGBTQ community off the streets. Larry Chang Foundation’s programme is designed to reduce premature death and restore hope by providing shelter, psychosocial support, life skills training and employability workshops.

Inspired by the bold and brave spirits he met in Jamaica and to raise funds for those in desperate need, Tim Walker will be releasing 30 signed prints of the Gully Queens with the Michael Hoppen Gallery at Photo London 2018, with all proceeds to be donated to the Gully Queens charity. "I found the notion of an aggression towards homosexuality in Jamaica sad and regressive," Walker stated. "To me the Gully Queens are emblematic of this injustice which is what led me to photograph them. There is the chance, through photography, to give something that is very wrong in the world the visibility to make it right."