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 have been tearing down wall after wall in a way that has never been done in public before.

I grew up in a patriarchal family in the coastal town of Trelleborg. I could feel the presence of the Iron Curtain in my flesh. I have not abandoned what I witnessed as a child. Whether it's conscious or unconscious, just by breathing, lesbians are tearing down that wall. I think we should talk more about that.

I was also curious to find out if it was possible to work in a new way. Without planning any interviews beforehand, I did it the "gut way." With three Interrail cards in my pocket, I showed up, connected, and had heart-to-heart conversations without too many filters. 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.

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. Therefore 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 hope you enjoy my smörgåsbord of The Pink Road.
Love
Gry