When I turned 16 I accepted myself as being gay.
Because there’s nothing like the support of your dad. Growing up gay and without a father was very hard for me. … My dad died when I was two years old and my stepfather was sent to prison when I was seven so my mom did her best at raising me. I guess I got tired of hiding who I really wanted to be. I was living a dream that everybody wanted me to live. Before I came out, I was the captain of the football team. I had to hide it, because people expected me to be who I wasn’t. I’m the first openly gay person in my family. When you’re staying in a rough neighborhood, you always gotta keep your guard up. I’m in the Spartan Legion Marching Band at Norfolk State as a Spartan Guard and I’m also involved in the LGBT organization “Legasi” at Norfolk State. I’m a 23-year-old college student at Norfolk State University and Tidewater Community College. My name is Tavaris “Teddy Ebony” Edwards and I’m a gay black man. The following piece is by Edwards, along with excerpts from interviews by Gannaway. Today he’s attending college part-time and hoping to better his life. Teddy is young gay man living in Chesapeake, Virginia, who came out at 16 years old and dropped out of school.
Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Preston Gannaway began documenting the life of Tavaris “Teddy Ebony” Edwards when they met during Pride week at Norfolk State University last year.
