Fazilat Soukhakian's portraits of LGBTQ+ couples in Utah show the conflict between religious and sexual identity and the pursuit to be treated as "normal."

When Fazilat Soukhakian moved from Iran to Utah, she was surprised to find similar cultural discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals. While there are clear differences – the Iranian government still punishes queerness with the death penalty – the shared experience of suppression, alienation, and banishment struck a chord.

Soukhakian observed the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' pervasive cultural power in Utah, which creates deep dilemmas for LGBTQ+ individuals with Mormon backgrounds who struggle between maintaining their faith and acting on their desires.

“Despite the church’s teachings,” she writes, “they are determined in their pursuit of love, each taking their own path by either enduring through the scrutiny of their surroundings or taking a step away from the church.” Many of these individuals have a complicated relationship reconciling both identities.

Soukhakian’s new series Queer In Utah aims to normalize LGBTQ+ relationships in a religious and cultural landscape that won’t have them. Playing off family portrait tropes found in the households of many Utah heterosexual couples, she highlights each couple's pursuit of love and joy within a culture that wants to suppress them.

After meeting at PhotoNola’s annual portfolio reviews in December, I contacted Soukhakian to learn more about her work.

Jon Feinstein in conversation with Fazilat Soukhakian

Jon Feinstein: Thanks for sharing your work with me! Let’s begin with the backstory: How did this project start?

Fazilat Soukhakian: From a very early age, as an Iranian woman, I have been exposed to many struggles related to social justice, equality and hierarchy to the point that those struggles gave me a very clear goal in life. I wanted to become a photographer and artist to give myself the means to reflect on the problems of my surroundings rather than merely being a witness to them. My skill-set and profession gave me the means to start portraying and sharing the stories I witnessed to bring awareness to them and contribute my part towards social change and justice.

The Queer in Utah project is a result of my schocking observations of the local LGBTQ+ community’s struggles when I moved to Utah in 2015. Because of the conflict between their sexuality and their faith, they face struggles with themselves and their communities. When I talked to the people I photographed, I witnessed a generation that is incredibly brave and courageous to stand up and pursue their love and desires, despite the hardships and often conflicts that come with it.

Feinstein: You've lived in two cultures that are, to different degrees, oppressive of LGBTQ+ individuals. What has your experience been like processing and reflecting on this?

Soukhakian: Iran still punishes the LGBTQ+ community with the death penalty. I have witnessed the struggles from friends and relatives surrounding me, having to deal with severe discrimination and fear from not only the authorities but the (often insensible) community around them as well.

Back in Iran, every time I reflected on this issue to potentially do a project about it, I was incredibly fearful of the possibility that I could put these people in danger by portraying the stories of their struggle. After I moved to the United States, I was very surprised to find that the LGBTQ+ community in certain regions in America goes through similar struggles and challenges of discrimination and suppression, albeit in a less physically violent way.

Feinstein: How has photography helped you process these issues?

Soukhakian: I believe that what I am portraying is not necessarily the stories of the struggle that these people are going through, but rather their stories of love, desire, and the pursuit of their own values despite what society is telling them to do and judging them for their actions. Showcasing the bravery of the LGBTQ+ community in Utah and how they are overcoming their struggle can bring inspiration to other communities around the world who are struggling with similar issues.

Chantelle and Katie © Fazilat Soukhakian

Feinstein: The landscape and environments you photograph in are a mix of secluded woods and more 'public" areas like city streets, etc. Is there a significance to the places you’re using as backdrops for your portraits?

Soukhakian: The culture of family and family portraiture is ingrained in the Latter Day Saints (LDS) lifestyle in Utah. Portraits in the natural setting of the Utah landscape are a staple on the walls of heterosexual couples’ homes. Many families often even hire photographers to take pictures of them professionally outside, in nature or the city. This project aims to help normalize the LGBTQ+ community in the conservative setting of Utah by portraying these couples in affectionate poses and in a local outdoor setting, similar to the dominant imagery found framed in the households of heterosexual couples.

The composition of the images vary from city settings to open fields and wooded terrain, but always have the space around the subjects empty from others. It is always in a natural enclave, an alley or other spaces that are on the cusp of the public/private border. It’s a reference to first and foremost pursuing their private wants and needs but also publicly displaying their affection to take a stand against the status quo of the society they have always known in the hopes of making a change for the better.

Feinstein: When we met at PhotoNola last month, you acknowledged that you don't identify as queer. On some level, that could be construed as an outsider's gaze, but looking at these portraits and hearing you talk about them, there is a sense of warmth, empathy, consent, and in my mind, does not come across as problematic or othering. Was this a concern at all in the process for you or those you approached to photograph?

Soukhakian: This is a very interesting question, since I do not identify as queer, nor am I LDS or American. After my move to Utah in 2015, I was immediately exposed to this issue. I met many people that shared their personal stories with me, always including struggles and often talking about self-injury and suicide attempts on their road of self-discovery.

These stories gave me an immediate flashback to the struggles that I witnessed in my own country where I was so fearful to tackle an issue like this through my photography. Because of the possibility that my work could be seen and read as what you call ‘an outsider’s gaze’ to these struggles, I was overly cautious, and it took me four years to start working on this project.

I decided to portray this new generation of LGBTQ+ Utahns exactly in the way I see them and how they inspire me in the fight for their rights. This way allows me to stay authentic to my personal view as an Iranian woman living in the USA, and working on an issue that has roots in what I helplessly witnessed as my younger self back home.

My photographs simply portray these beautiful people in their pursuit of love in a society that considers their identity and desire to be something to feel guilty about, yet they are resisting in their own ways. I can only hope that, by sharing these stories, it inspires others in similar situations to not lose hope and feel empowered towards their own love pursuits.

Ideally, I can contribute a small part towards the normalization of the LGBTQ+ community in the conservative setting of Utah with this project as well.

Feinstein: What does the photographic portrait session process and exchange look like? What is your relationship with the people you're photographing?

Soukhakian: I mostly photograph people that I know or get to know somehow through the community I interact with. Many people will then put me in touch with others through word of mouth. We get in contact and often we’ll have a coffee or tea together, or we’ll do an introduction by phone if the timing doesn’t allow for it. I tell them who I am, give them an introduction about the project and then they tell me about themselves and I get to know some of their stories. It is a very natural process.

We keep the dialogue going during the photo session. Usually, we photograph in an area near the home or workplace of the people I photograph. I’ll scout the area in advance for potential locations, informed by the background stories that came out of our conversation. I always ask if they know of any places nearby that might be a good fit or hold a special meaning to them. We usually do a photoshoot at multiple locations, and experiment with it.

I see the process as a collaboration between me, my camera, and all these people that carry their stories with them.

Feinstein: How have the people in your photographs responded to seeing their portraits?

Soukhakian: They mostly tell me they love the photographs. I try to let each of them know wherever I publish or exhibit their photos. Regularly, I show them the photos on my camera during the photoshoot.

This way, they immediately know how I see them through my viewfinder. I often explain that the way they are portrayed in the photo carries a certain meaning and they tend to love this interaction. My photoshoots have always been based on dialogue and the relationship and collaboration that this brings with it.

Feinstein: I understand this work is in a somewhat early stage. Where do you imagine it going from here?

Soukhakian: There are still so many more stories to be told. Many people want their story to be heard to bring more understanding and openness to their environment. They want their communities to be supportive of their choices, and I want to help them raise their voice and spread their story.

My plan is to exhibit this project in every corner of Utah from urban settings to more rural ones. I’ll aim to show them across the country and abroad as well to get people inspired by the bravery of this community, actively trying to overcome the obstacles and struggles from their environment which could have prevented them from being themselves.

A Struggle Between Faith and Love