Image of Russian gay couple wins World Press Photo

An image of a gay couple locked in a tender embrace in Russia won the prestigious World Press Photo award on Thursday, highlighting the plight of sexual minorities in the country. Danish photographer Mads Nissen shot his evocative winning picture of “Jon and Alex” in a bare room in Saint Petersburg, with only a brown curtain as a backdrop. Russia’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community has come under increasing attacks in Russia, with the government earlier this year passing a controversial law banning transvestites and transsexuals from driving.

What they want most of all is for their cause to get acknowledgement and attention. They are willing to fight for it. They also belong to a new generation of activists who won’t bow their heads.

Mads Nissen, photographer

Nissen’s winning shot is part of his larger project called “Homophobia in Russia” and also won first prize in the Contemporary Issues category. While the winning image was of an intimate moment, the world’s hotspots of unrest and despair also featured prominently in the prizes with images from the conflicts in Ukraine, Syria and Gaza as well as the Ebola crisis in Africa.

Today, terrorists use graphic images for propaganda. We have to respond with something more subtle, intense and thoughtful.

Alessia Glaviano, World Press Photo jury member

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