Rooted in Pride. Driven by Expression. Shades of Queerness.

In a world that often asks us to quiet ourselves, we chose to turn up the volume. Our “Shades of Queerness” shoot celebrates Pride through bold color, dual lighting, holographic makeup, and a majority LGBTQ+ team behind the scenes. 

Denver hairstylist Darrel Dewitt reminded us that Pride is rooted in protest. Model Hana Madelena says, “Pride doesn’t have a look, but it does have a volume,” calling it a response to systemic silencing. Model Dani Baby described Pride as “a muscle we build through care, creativity, and unapologetic expression.” Christopher Hernandez added, “Representation is strength. Pride means living in your truth with confidence.”

Drag queen Marishka shared, “Love wins because we fought to find it.” Designer Mark Shroyer called Pride “the courage to live authentically.” Makeup artist Nelly Hernandez said it honors the “journey, struggle, and joy of being yourself,” while Kyle Hamilton jokes, “Pride is a riot—Grab your bricks.”

This shoot celebrates joy, visibility, and queer resilience, in dedication to Jax Gratton — whose light will always inspire us all. We invite readers to support her family through the GoFundMe created in her name. 

Credits: 

Photographer- Jackson Davis, Instagram: @jacksondavis13

Creative Directors- Autumn Schieferstein, Instagram: @autumnschieferstein Lauren Lippert, Instagram: @laurenjlippertt

Designer- Mark Shroyer, Instagram: @imbalby

Hair- Darrel Dewitt, Instagram: @darreldewitt

Makeup- Kyle Hamilton, Instagram: @ohwowkyle

Assistant MUA- Nelly Hernandez, Instagram: @beautiful_skinbynelly,

Assistant- Lexi Garcia, Instagram: @lex_beauty_denver

Models- Hana Madelena, Instagram: @hannies_mads; Dani Baby, Instagram: @itsmedanibaby Christopher Hernandez, Instagram: @chrissyhernandezmusic; Marishka Staxx, Instagram: @themarishkaa