Award-winning photographer and journalist J. Lester Feder presents The Queer Face of War, a powerful collection of stunning portraits and intimate profiles capturing how queer people experience conflict—both in their unique vulnerabilities and in the extraordinary ways they feel called to fight.

Queer people’s experiences of war have long been invisible. Portraits like those in this book are rare because most modern conflicts have taken place in regions where coming out is dangerous or impossible. But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is different. Here, queer people have become a visible part of the resistance, fighting for their rights as they fight for their country.

In Ukraine, the struggle for queer freedom and the fight for democracy are deeply intertwined. Russian President Vladimir Putin has framed the war as a defense of so-called “traditional values,” making this the first major conflict where a global superpower has invaded its neighbor with the explicit goal of rolling back LGBTQ rights.

Through Feder’s lens, The Queer Face of War reveals the human stories behind this historic moment—courage, pain, hope, and unwavering dignity.