My 12-year-old daughter, Sophie, wandered into the kitchen after school while I was elbow-deep in dirty dishes. She launched into a conversation the way she always does—“MOM! Guess what?!”—but this time it wasn’t followed by gossip about classmates or complaints about homework. Instead, her eyes sparkled as she squealed, “Will is gay!! And he told me first! Mom, I’m the very first person to know! I mean, I kinda already guessed, but he actually told me before anyone else!”
I smiled, happy that Sophie felt so honored that her friend trusted her with something so personal. But almost immediately, my joy was tangled with worry for Will. My sister is gay and came out back in 2004 while she was in college. My parents were loving and accepting, but not everyone else was. My grandparents uninvited her from a family vacation and didn’t speak to her for months. She and her wife had to travel to another state just to get married, and even then, their marriage wasn’t recognized at home for years. Those experiences made me painfully aware of how real homophobia still is. Even though the world has changed, it hasn’t changed enough. I silently hoped that Will’s journey would be gentle—that coming out would be easy, that his friends would surround him with love, and that he would never feel alone. All I could really do was cross my fingers and wish fiercely for him.
I tried hard not to pry into Sophie and Will’s friendship, but every so often I’d casually ask if he had told his parents or anyone else yet. For a long time, the answer stayed the same: “No.” Then, a few months later, Sophie came to me and said he’d finally talked to his parents. She didn’t share many details, only that it had gone well—and that they had already known before he officially told them. I wasn’t entirely surprised. I knew his parents a bit from photographing their family years earlier, when Will was just seven. Still, I felt an enormous sense of relief knowing the conversation had happened and that his family could move forward together, without fear or rejection.
As the months passed, Sophie and Will became inseparable. If Sophie wasn’t at his house, Will was at ours. Naturally, his mom Kristen and I began talking more too. The night before Will’s 13th birthday, Kristen texted me a photo of his cake—a bold, rainbow-themed masterpiece with his favorite artist, Taylor Swift, front and center. She was bursting with excitement, and my heart swelled with pride. Will’s parents weren’t just accepting—they were fully, joyfully supportive. They didn’t question him, silence him, or try to change him. They simply grabbed those rainbow flags and waved them right alongside him.
Not long after, Kristen reached out to schedule some long-overdue family portraits. She mentioned Sophie might join for a few photos with Will and added, almost casually, “Maybe I’ll get some Pride shirts for them to wear.” That was all it took. My mind started racing, and suddenly I knew Will deserved something more—something just for him. Something bold, affirming, and celebratory. Kristen and I teamed up to plan a full “Pride Tribe” photo session. We gathered rainbow flags, colorful shirts, and a group of Will’s most supportive friends. At my studio, we painted Pride tattoos on teenage cheeks, shared pizza, laughed loudly, and centered the entire day around celebrating Will exactly as he is.
When everyone was ready, we piled into cars and drove together to the location. There stood Will—calm, confident, and completely surrounded by love. Even draped in rainbows, he was still just Will, with his sandy blond hair falling into his bright blue eyes. He had come out to his friends, his family, and now, in a way, to the world. And it didn’t shake him at all—because love had always been there, steady and unwavering. As I photographed him, I made one more silent wish: that somewhere, another kid would see these images and feel brave enough to be themselves too. That their coming out would be just as simple, safe, and filled with love—exactly how it should be.
I hope life always keeps Sophie and Will close. I adore listening to them bicker like an old married couple and watching them dissolve into laughter over whatever ridiculous thing they’re posting on Snapchat. Wherever life takes Will, I have no doubt he’s going to be just fine.
