I'm Gry Ellebjerg, a Swedish journalist and photographer. Sometimes life is not logical. You are struck by a fever, an urge you must follow without knowing why. To me, it was as necessary as eating and drinking to find what stories and pictures I had in me, if I had any at all.
I quit my job, created this website and hit The Pink Road in Europe to look for lesbians. I desperately wanted to know how they lived their lives.
To me, lesbians are a symbol of practical democracy. Like no other, they challenge norms in a way that has never been done in public before. Whether it's conscious or unconscious, just by breathing, lesbians are tearing down the wall of patriarchy. I think we should talk more about that.
I wanted to do it the "gut way," without planning interviews beforehand or doing tons of research. I had already started using this method in a project at my former job and wanted to explore it further. I believe the gut method had to do with my state of mind.
I had lost my parents and the world's best cat, Doris. I was in grief, and grief makes you incredibly raw.
With three Interrail cards in my pocket, I showed up, met people and had heart-to-heart conversations without too many filters.
Traveling in the footsteps of lesbians has been an overwhelming experience. Instead of entering countries, I entered different queer rooms. If you put them next to each other, they build a country of their own with similar challenges and structures. Every time we gather, it's like a Eurovision rehearsal.
As if the challenges I was up against were not enough, I decided to write it in English, a language that is not my own. I had to trust how each word, each sentence sounded and felt more than usual. I had to accept imperfection and loss of control. It was terrifying. Perhaps my cracks were just what I needed.
I have always wanted to write a book so of course I am topping off my project with that. It feels like running 100 marathons without any breaks. I can now add to my CV: "expert in accepting discomfort." In the book, you will find the interviews I had with lesbians in Europe. On this site, I share some of the stories from the road.
Hello!
This is a snapshot from my upcoming book about lesbian/queer life in Europe. A monologue with Swedish non-binary artist Hedda Bauer. On how they create their own queer bubble with friends, clothes, hair and makeup. ”This fur coat is like armour. It's a big pink fake bear fur. It looks like a teddy, but it's definitely armour against the rest of the world.”
