Finn
“When I go to see the barber it’s usually an exercise in small talk survival. Get just enough done to avoid being rude. Fielding the inevitable questions about my job and football. Unable to hear clearly, as the buzzer runs around my head. It’s a happy day when the barber lets me sit in silence.
“I love being at sea. The escape, the sounds, the nature. The sound of the boat creaking, the waves lapping against the hull, the halyards clinking. And then the calm quiet of engines off and the boat being powered by sail alone. Even when it’s rough and the wind is howling, there is a quiet in the white noise.
“I’m an aural person, drawn to the soundscapes of life. I came to Brighton to study music composition. Several years later I found myself immersed in the LGBTQ world. I discovered a world of homoeroticism, of gay sailors: Gaultier, Querelle, Tom of Finland. I’ve always wanted to be at sea. Growing up on the coast, I have rarely lived further than a short walk away from it. But I never had the opportunity to access it by boat. Sailing is a world of privilege and affluence. A perfect confluence then: moving to Brighton, coming out, meeting actual gay sailors and finally getting the opportunities to go to sea on a sailboat.”
Finn
Finn is a Health Promotion Specialist working in HIV and sexual health for Terrence Higgins Trust. He founded Trans Can Sport and has worked in the LGBT community for many years.
For him queer means understanding ourselves on our own terms, not being boxed in with labels and what we’re supposed to be. Realising our true selves as beautiful and special beings.
His advice to queer youth: Don’t listen when people tell you that you’re not what you think you might be. Only you know, but you can take your time, it’s not a race to figure it out.
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.