Don’t You Want Me launch party and exhibition.
Don’t You Want Me is a global documentary photography project showcasing the beauty and resilience of LGBTQ people with their rescued dogs. Coupling compelling images and personal narratives, Don’t You Want Me shows that individuals of all stripes have the ability to transform their lives when they are given love. And the question of ‘who rescued who’ becomes universal, no matter how you identify.
Kicking off in Toronto for Transgender Day of Visibility, March 31, 2019, Don’t You Want Me is proud to present an inaugural exhibit and party. Held at Tom&Sawyer from 5 – 7pm, our launch party will feature some of the images and narratives from the project with the backdrop of this stunning, sunny venue. Attendees can learn more about it and become ambassadors, participants and supporters! Also, meet some of our participants and their pups! No personal dogs allowed BUT Tom&Sawyer will be giving away doggie goodie bags for those with canines at home. Save Our Scruff will be there with an adoptable dog or two and several ‘famed’ Toronto VIP pups will be there to meet and greet!
Jack Jackson (DYWM co-founder): “Why is this project important? Why did we choose Trans Day of Visibility for our launch? This project shows what happens when LOVE is taken away – by discrimination, hate and ignorance – and how people flourish when it’s given back.
Trans people simply need the same as everyone else – love, purpose and family. Despite the increased awareness of trans issues, the appalling fact is that the attempted suicide rate of trans people remains unchanged at around 43%. Trans peoples’ stories are a powerful, resilient, previously silenced voice teaching society how discrimination and gender inequalities harm us all.”
Don’t You Want Me documents a global community. Deb Klein and Jack Jackson – both photographers and believers in the human-animal connection – use the photographic lens to capture the intimacy and emotional heartbeat of the bond and entice the audience into the lives of their subjects. Currently in Toronto, Brighton UK, and NYC, this ongoing photo project (and ultimately book) reaches out across borders, from North America and Europe, and onward.
EVENT IS FREE BUT EVENTBRITE RSVPs ARE REQUIRED FOR ENTRY – CLICK HERE TO RSVP
THE EXHIBIT WILL BE HANGING AT BLACK LAB BREWING FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL. IT WILL THEN MOVE TO THE DOCK ON QUEEN FOR THE MONTH OF MAY.
** TOM&SAWYER IS LOCATED AT 1247 Queen Street East, Toronto
** BLACK LAB BREWING IS LOCATED AT 818 Eastern Ave, Toronto