Dona Ann McAdams, a photographer and advocate, intertwines her personal experiences with significant historical moments in the LGBT community from 1974 to 2024. Her latest work, "Black Box: A Photographic Memoir," published by Saint Lucy Books, combines powerful images with prose-like reflections. McAdams has long used her craft to empower marginalized communities, from the South Bronx to southern Appalachia, fostering self-expression through photography. She navigates the evolution of the Pride parades, reflecting on the commercialization of the celebration and the deeper meanings of identity and visibility in a changing social landscape.
Every year for Pride we met in front of [the studio space] PS122 and wandered up Fifth Avenue. We had no particular destination, just the chance to celebrate who we were and what we believed in.
It seemed that corporate America had decided to cash in on all things gay and everyone was part of some commodified group. We all noticed it. The labels.
Men looked at us. And when they looked at us we were supposed to look away or down. Those were the rules.
But I couldn’t help myself, I always looked back. Straight in their eye until they did or said something stupid.
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