My name is Steve Reeves, and I photograph and interview people I meet on the streets around my home in South London.
My work focuses on ordinary people. I am particularly interested in older people, as they have experienced unprecedented change in our society during their lifetimes.
I recently photographed an older man named Gerald Moon, who happened to be sweeping his front garden as I passed his house while walking my dog.
I took a few snaps, and we had a brief chat. Gerald was a fascinating person who eloquently told me all about his life as a young gay man in London in the early sixties. We agreed that I would return to take a more considered portrait and conduct a more detailed interview.
However, when I knocked on his door a week or so later, there was no answer. I then discovered that just a couple of days after I had met him, he had passed away.
I wrote up what I could about our conversation in his front garden. In doing so, I started to think about all the other older members of the LGBTQ community who must have had similar experiences to Gerald. The world has changed so much in Gerald’s lifetime. Of course, young members of the LGBTQ community still have to endure prejudice, but back in Gerald’s time, there was not only the risk of physical and verbal abuse but there was also the risk of arrest and imprisonment.
My time with Gerald compelled me to start the project Before We Were Proud, which aims to document the personal stories of these older people while they are still with us.
Since then, I have photographed and interviewed 15 people from the LGBTQ community. Their stories are also moving and, at times, quite shocking. The injustices and mistreatment that they had to endure purely because of their sexuality or identity are a part of British history. But also, the more personal feelings of loneliness and struggles with shame and isolation are something that I feel needs to be documented.
Thankfully, Britain is slowly becoming a more open-minded country. Every year, the Pride March has become a celebration of LGBTQ culture, but many people don’t realise that it started as a protest, and those brave enough to attend back in the 1960s took considerable risks.
This project aims to tell the stories of these courageous people while they are still with us.
The work will be exhibited at Wandsworth Reference Library in Clapham Junction during Pride Month 2025 as part of Wandsworth Fringe. Admission is free.
The unabridged stories can also be read on my website.
https://stevereevesphotographer.com/street-portraits#/before-we-were-proud
My latest work can also be seen on my Instagram @stevereevesphotographer.
If you are over 75, have a story to tell, and would like to participate in this project, please get in touch.
Before We Were Proud. An Exhibition by Steve Reeves. Portraits and interviews featuring the personal stories of older members of the LGBTQ+ community. Battersea Library, 6 June – 13 July 2025, 265 Lavender Hill, London SW11 1JB, United Kingdom.
Admission Free
