This is one of a group of six gelatin silver prints in Tate’s collection from Zanele Muholi’s series Only Half the Picture 2003–6 (Tate P81289–P81294). The series, which exists in an edition of eight with one artist’s proof, dates from an early moment in Muholi’s career; it was foundational for much of their later practice which confronts stereotypes and taboos faced by the black LGBTQI+ community in South Africa. Muholi trained at the Market Photo Workshop in Johannesburg, an organisation founded in 1989 by South African photographer David Goldblatt (1930–2018) to ensure that visual literacy was accessible to all. Muholi’s first-hand knowledge of the LGBTQI+ community ensures a level of trust between photographer and participant that lends their work an intimate perspective on the challenges facing black lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and intersex people.