It Felt Like Home: Coming-Of-Age Portraits of the Lgbtq+ Community in Athens

During one of my trips back home I spent a few days in Athens where I met and shot the portraits of nine young artists that are part of the LGBTQ+ community there.

My friend Evdokia, who is also based in Athens, helped to locate them and arranged for us to meet around the centre of the city. I had some very interesting conversations with all of them and it was nice to hear their personal stories.

We spoke about how it is to be a queer artist in Athens in 2022 with the socio political background and under a right wing government. We also discussed how the pandemic has affected their lives and their decision making about the future. Everyone described the pandemic as a period of big changes and a shift in the way they lived their lives.I named this project ''Felt like home'' as before moving to London, Athens was my home for four years. During that period of time I was in my early 20s and trying to understand who I was as a person, find my voice and dream of a future. Back then Greece was suffering from an economic crisis that affected young people badly. A lot of us decided to leave the country as there wasn't much to do, unemployment was a huge issue that led to emigration. Along with the economic crisis there has always been a cultural one. Young artists would find themselves trapped in a conservative society and their work would go unrecognised and unsupported.

With this project I wanted to document how much things have changed for young artists in the last few years in Greece. I chose to speak with members of the LGBTQ+ community as their struggles are more challenging and also there is the need for visibility and acknowledgement of their opinions and work

Mary & Natalie

Mary: Architecture student, artist 

Coming of age moment: ‘‘During quarantine I had some strong realizations about my identity and the fact that I’m  non binary. This was the time when I decided to come out to my friends and family and since then I’m in my first  queer relationship with Natalie. I’ve always known I’m queer I just wasn’t aware what my queerness meant for me  when I was younger, especially because I grew up in a very small town and it wasn’t easy for me to be myself.’’ 

Future plans: Finishing my studies and moving to Athens 

‘‘In Athens things are different from other cities in Greece. Here people express themselves more. It’s a place  where I feel more comfortable and included as I’m surrounded by people with similar experiences. I still find it very  hard because Greek society is not where it should be and also with our government being right wing and how this  is affecting the younger population. I have hope that young people will be more aware and try to educate  themselves in matters that have to do with identity, sexual orientation and expression in general.’’

Natalie: Writer, poet originally from the US but living in Europe for the last few years

Coming of age moment: ‘‘I’ve had a lot of different comings of age but I think the biggest one was rediscovering  that I’m a queer person. It was a long road and not everyone in my family and social circles were comfortable with  the decision to come out and that entails losing friends and family or being in situations where I’ve been kicked out  of houses and experience discrimmination in various forms.’’ 

Future plans: opening a bookshop and host poetry workshops In Athens 

‘‘Before coming to Athens I used to live in Berlin and although people would think that Berlin is the place to be,  personally I found it very difficult to integrate myself into German society. Coming to Athens wasn't just a change  of scenery but an attempt to shift mentality towards independence and self determination. I feel despite the socio  political situation in Greece, change is more possible here than an established society like Berlin or London as  Athens is still growing and more people are coming here in an attempt to find themselves.  What I hope to get out of living here is a sense of community, connect with more creatives and writers and  continue doing creative things with Mary.’’

Adam

Adam: Model, performer, member of the House of Kareola in Athens 

Coming of age moment: ‘‘In high school I met a drug queen that gave me my first wig and heels. I was so excited!  After that I started performing in underground parties and well known queer clubs in Athens. This was also the  time when voguing came into my life. Voguing is a powerful dance movement that originated in 70s and 80s New  York among the predominantly black trans community. The history of this movement has inspired me to express  my femininity in many ways.’’ 

Future plan: continue modeling, live abroad 

‘‘In Greece there aren’t many non binary fashion models and a lot of model agencies wouldn’t sign me just for  being queer. The industry is very old fashioned and if you don’t fit the stereotype of a male or female it’s hard as  there is no inclusivity. Athens has very limited opportunities for people like me, I often have to create these  opportunities for myself and with the help of a community of friends that we have learnt to support and uplift each  other.’’

Valeria & Peggy

Valeria: Stylist, art director, vintage dealer 

Coming of age moment: ‘‘When the pandemic started and at the beginning of the quarantine I decided to leave  London where I was studying for the last 2 years and returned to Athens as I was missing home and family. At that  time I met Peggy and being with her felt natural and easy from the beginning. I didn't really have to question my  sexuality, I love people for who they are. I might sound too romantic but love shouldn’t have to do with someone’s  gender, colour or ethnicity. In the future I really hope we progress on that thought.’’ 

Future plans: moving back to London  

“In Greece LGBTQ people are being deprived of some of their basic human rights like being able to marry the one  you love. For me Athens is my home but unfortunately there is little opportunity for new artists.”

Peggy: Photographer, musician 

Coming of age moment: ‘‘In the summer of 2020 I went through a period of big emotional change as I was really  tired of the way I lived my life. I had to re evaluate people and habits that made me feel in a certain way. That’s  when I started loving myself again, feeling happy and content. My sexuality and other things that define me as a  person like my art were part of this change’’. 

Future plans: move to London with Valeria 

‘‘My parents have always been very supportive of my choices but Greek society in general is the opposite for  LGBTQ people. For example most queer people have to choose certain places to go to in order to socialize and  have fun, where they feel safe and respected. Otherwise we face discrimination, stares and unwanted  comments. Hope things really do change in the future.’’

Amie

Amie: Actor, Muse

Coming of age moment: ‘‘Growing up in Athens and going to school was a real challenge for me as I was battling with anorexia and for that I was constantly being bullied. I didn't have the confidence to express myself and I often felt isolated and without friends. Also my queerness wasn’t accepted and I had to surpress who I was as I was dealing with a lot of hate’’.

Future plans: Go to New York and pursue my acting career

‘‘When I visited Paris for an acting workshop at the age of 16, I saw for the first time that being queer can exist in a space, even on the street. Girls kissing girls and boys kissing boys! Seeing that was mind blowing as I didn’t think it was possible to have such freedom. It made me think of my future as a queer person and made me realize that I will be able to live my life to the fullest at some point’’.

Dion & Soni

Dion: Music producer, DJ 

Coming of age moment: ‘‘It was when I realized that all of my efforts have been put into fighting for an identity so I  can say to everyone ‘Hi, I’m Dion and I do this’, which was wrong. To be one thing, to fit into the binary as  demanded by society is very capitalist. I know that I can be a lot of things and express myself in many different  ways through music, art, cinema’’. 

Future plans: Continue living in my neighborhood Exarcheia and create art 

‘‘In Athens just because there aren’t many opportunities for the LGBTQ we play music and organise parties that  help to create a safe space for queers. A lot of times we throw these parties to raise money for members of our  community that are going through serious problems like homelessness for example. Collectively and through  music we come together to build more sustainable futures’’.

Soni: Student, music producer, DJ 

Coming of age moment: ‘‘When I started playing music in spaces full of people that were very supportive and  unique I found it easier to express myself and be free. It was a very powerful feeling. Over the last year playing  music with Dion has also made a big difference as together we can create something nice and help our  community by raising money for those in need’’. 

Future plans: Create safe spaces for LGBTQ  

‘‘In Athens I am involved with the feminsit movement. Lately we’ve been seeing on the news that femicides and  assaults on women have been increased in our country and women are starting to break their silence. With the  movement we try to create awareness and call women on the streets to fight for our rights. The media have  always concealed abuse and violence against us but now we raise our voices. We need to help and support each  other and there is a lot of work to do’’.

Gillette

Gillette: Fine Arts Student, poet, performer, visual artist 

Coming of age moment: ‘‘After the first lockdown I decided to change everything in my life including my circle of  friends, habits and even my school courses. I also started therapy. But mainly I decided not to abuse myself  anymore because most of the times people are offering things to you in exchange of your mental health. I got tired  of being fetishized by every ‘mentor’ in this life and started listening to myself more and putting my needs first’’. 

Future plans: make more music, finish my school and live abroad 

‘‘Coming to Athens from a small city I saw that everyone have build their own reality in order to survive. A queer  artist living in Athens can have as many realities and as many personalities as they wish especially if we add social  media in the discussion. The sense of community is a very rare thing to feel and to be honest I haven’t experienced  that feeling. My community is the people that I chose to have close and all of us are dealing with our own personal  struggles. The sense of community is something that we all want to believe in but truth is (with a bit of sarcasim)  ‘We feel so lonely in this queer community’’.

Photographer: Iliana Kanellopoulou | Casting director: Evdokia Labropoulou

Cast: Mary, Natalie, Adam, Valeria, Peggy, Amie, Dion, Soni & Gillette