What I must say
Gay photographer presents “What I must say” series
Before you speak ask yourself if what you are going to say is true, is kind, is necessary, is helpful. If the answer is no, maybe what you are about to say should be left unsaid.
~Bernard Meltzer
LGBTQ artist Dmitriy Gushchin’s new series “What I Must Say” confronts both political and deeply personal issues that demand attention. The title of the series is drawn from one of Dmitriy’s favorite songs, written in the early 20th century by Alexander Vertinsky—a reminder that art and music have long been vessels for truth, resilience, and resistance.
For Dmitriy, art is not only a medium of beauty but a powerful platform capable of sparking real change on both spiritual and geopolitical levels. This series reflects his conviction that creativity can illuminate injustice, amplify marginalized voices, and inspire transformation.
A central focus of “What I Must Say” is the ongoing struggle of the international LGBTQ+ community. Through his imagery, Dmitriy gives visibility to these struggles, weaving together personal narrative and collective experience. His portraits and compositions become acts of testimony—visual declarations that refuse silence and insist on recognition.
This series is both intimate and universal: a meditation on identity, resilience, and the necessity of speaking truth through art. Here you can explore a limited selection from Dmitriy Gushchin’s “What I Must Say” series, a body of work that insists on visibility and affirms the power of queer creativity to challenge, heal, and transform.
Although many of the images created by Boston-based gay photo artist Dmitriy Gushchin have been banned by Instagram and other social platforms under the label of “containing nudity,” Dmitriy sees this as part of a broader pattern of anti-LGBTQ censorship. What began as his visionary series “Obscure Dream Liberation” has unexpectedly turned into the “Instagram Nightmare”—a struggle against the silencing of queer artistic expression in digital spaces.
Currently, Dmitriy’s Instagram account is “shadow blocked,” appearing private to non-subscribers and limiting the visibility of his work. This suppression highlights the urgent need to defend LGBTQ+ rights and freedom of expression. Art should never be censored simply for its honesty, vulnerability, or celebration of queer identity.
By subscribing and following accounts like Dmitriy’s, you stand in solidarity with queer artists who refuse to be erased. He is not alone—this is a collective fight, and every voice matters. Together, we can resist censorship and affirm the power of queer creativity.
You can read more in the article linked below.
You can check the article by clicking the link: https://www.advocate.com/business/instagram-shadowbanning-lgbtq-content . Please support your favorited gay photographer and LGBTQ photo artist community by expressing your opinion to Instagram and other anti-gay social networks. Your opinion hopefully can make the difference!
Welcome to the Cabaret
Dmitriy Gushchin photographer In recent years, the global LGBTQ+ community has been struck hard by political upheavals and rising hostility. Perhaps the most shocking aspect of this unfortunate process is not only the oppression itself, but the silence of the general public—a silence that allows injustice to persist. Against this backdrop, Boston-based gay photographer Dmitriy Gushchin collaborated with his dear friend, a talented LGBTQ+ artist in Thailand, to create “Welcome to Cabaret.” In this powerful photo, a sign reading “Freedom of Choice” becomes a central motif, symbolizing the contradictions of our time. The image frames politics as a global cabaret—an unsettling spectacle where power, identity, and human rights are performed, contested, and too often denied. Through vivid symbolism, “Welcome to Cabaret” insists that queer voices must be heard, that silence is complicity, and that art can be a powerful act of resistance. The collaboration bridges continents, affirming that the struggle for LGBTQ+ rights is both local and universal, deeply personal yet profoundly political. Here you can explore Dmitriy Gushchin’s “Welcome to Cabaret.”
Memoir of Molested
Dmitriy Gushchin photographer This photograph reflects the gay artist’s deeply personal experience of being violated at a young age. While the act itself was not physically painful, it left a lasting mark of confusion and disorientation that continues to reverberate to this day. Through this work, the LGBTQ artist confronts the complexity of trauma—how it can be subtle yet enduring, shaping identity and perception long after the moment has passed. Rather than depicting pain directly, the image channels the lingering emotional aftermath: the uncertainty, the silence, and the search for meaning. It is both a testimony and a meditation, transforming personal history into a visual language that speaks to resilience, vulnerability, and the ongoing process of self‑understanding.
Escape
Dmitriy Gushchin photographer “Escape” is an LGBTQ artist’s poignant reflection on the painful realities of the current human condition. Created during travels in Thailand, the photograph features an extraordinary model whose presence anchors the work in vulnerability and strength. Through digital composition, Boston-based gay photographer Dmitriy Gushchin merges the portrait with imagery of machinery and plastic containers, transforming the figure into a symbol of entrapment within modern society’s mechanical and artificial structures. The juxtaposition of human form with industrial fragments evokes both confinement and resistance. It speaks to the struggle of navigating a world increasingly dominated by technology, consumerism, and systemic pressures, while still yearning for liberation and authenticity. “Escape” becomes not only a personal meditation but also a universal allegory—an image that confronts the tension between humanity and machinery, fragility and resilience, despair and hope.
St Sebastian and Supreme Core
Dmitriy Gushchin photographer “St Sebastian and Supreme Core” is a powerful reflection on the Supreme Court rulings of June 30, 2023. In this work, Boston-based LGBTQ artist Dmitriy Gushchin invokes the figure of Saint Sebastian—long regarded as a symbol of resilience, martyrdom, and queer iconography—to confront the contradictions of contemporary justice. The image juxtaposes sacred endurance with the harsh realities of political authority, questioning the notion of “supremacy” itself. For Dmitriy, there can be no celebration in the idea of being “supreme” when rulings diminish equality and silence marginalized voices. Instead, the photo becomes a visual protest, exposing the tension between spiritual strength and institutional power. Through this composition, “St Sebastian and Supreme Core” transforms personal conviction into collective testimony. It insists that art must bear witness, challenge authority, and reclaim space for those excluded from the so‑called celebration of supremacy.
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