Beyond the Uniform: Stories from the Queer Veterans Project

As part of LGBTQ+ History Month, Geneseo historian Jovana Babović and Buffalo-based photographer Mel Porter will discuss their ongoing work on the Queer Veterans Project at a special talk on Tuesday, November 4 at 4:30 p.m. in the Ballroom Lounge (MCU).

The Queer Veterans Project is a photo-documentary project featuring LGBTQ+ people who served in the U.S. Army. Through portraits and oral history narratives, the project explores veterans’ decisions to enlist, their experiences navigating queerness while serving, and the lasting impact of military service on their identities.

During the talk, Babović and Porter will share the stories and histories behind the project and discuss their work documenting the experiences of LGBTQ+ veterans in Western New York. The project features veterans diverse in age, race, gender, sexual orientation, and military experience, creating a space to reflect on the struggles LGBTQ+ people have faced—and continue to face—in the U.S. military, while celebrating their dignity, strength, and pride.

The Queer Veterans Project exhibition will be on display in the Ballroom Lounge from Monday, October 26 through Friday, November 6, offering the campus community an opportunity to explore the photographs and oral histories featured in the project.