#4 Nicolas Zuluaga

Monday September 4th 2023 9:00am

📍Outside the Aquarium, MA

shot on: canon eos rebel t3i 18-24mm 70-300mm

When did you first identify as queer and why?

I first identified as queer sometime in high school, I don’t remember the exact day, but it was when I stopped saying “I don’t know” every time some nosy booger filled hoe would ask if I was gay and instead just said something like “yeah, maybe”. Or when a girl friend of mine would say “he’s so cute” and I would allow myself to agree with her to her face.

What does being queer mean to you and how does it affect the way you move through the world and different spaces(social, economic, cultural, political)?

Being queer means being creative, liberated, brave, loving, and beautiful. It means being vulnerable, caring, sexy, perfect, and funny. It means being aware, malleable, a super star, inspirational, and… Everything. Being queer affects the way I move through all spaces, it is part of who I am and therefore something I cannot leave at the door whenever I might want to. But I would never want to, I choose to enter spaces with my queerness as visible and present as possible because I am proud. I love being gay and the way it shapes my experience of life. That’s not to say it is easy being gay, of course it’s not. Especially being Latinx and gay, from a devout Catholic family. But I still love it.

How would you define your queer identity?

I currently identify as a gay man.

What is one thing you wish the younger you would’ve known in order to make deciding to get out of bed each day easier?

I wish I had known that I would find a beautiful family of queer friends who I could laugh and cry and dance with for the rest of my life. And many more even present me hasn’t met yet!