Jonathan Blake
“This was the most relaxed shoot I’ve ever done.
Strange, because as a kid the barber’s chair filled me with dread.
My father’s hair was always slicked back with something called Jakalls – like a solid, glossy version of Brylcreem, with a smell I couldn’t stand. I always feared the barber would plaster it on me too.
The shoot with Chris was the opposite. I felt calm, comfortable, and completely at ease. The chair itself was pure luxury – though the chrome felt a bit too butch for my taste, not really something I know much about!”
I love the leather shorts which I made from the kids goat and I also made a pair for my life companion Nigel Young.
We certainly looked wonderfully cool in them. They really are so soft and a joy to wear – a fly that has no zip or fastening for easy access – Just Simply Queer Joy.”
Jonathan Blake (he/him/they)
Jonathan was diagnosed with what became known as HIV in 1982 and has lived with it for over 40 years. As one of the UK’s earliest diagnosed people living with HIV, he has dedicated his life to activism and visibility.
Being queer is central to Jonathan’s identity. Born at a time when homosexuality was still criminalised, and growing up Jewish in Britain, he always felt othered. His world shifted in 1967 when he went to drama school and began travelling to London at weekends, where he discovered his community and found his tribe.
Jonathan has had moments of profound visibility: in 1996 he became the face of the Terrence Higgins Trust’s safer sex campaign, publicly outing himself as HIV positive. Terrifying yet cathartic, this marked a turning point. Later, the film PRIDE (2014) brought his story to a global audience, and with it, global recognition.
For Jonathan, self-expression comes simply from living openly and unapologetically as himself. His message to the next generation is clear: be brave, get tested, and know your status.
This is UNCUT — a raw, striking portrait series by award-winning photographer Chris Jepson capturing the power and pride of Queer Joy, shot in a barber’s chair. No filters, no retouching, no compromise. Just bold, beautiful people taking up space exactly as they are.