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