‘I don’t want my children to be influenced by people like you’: Outrage as woman says gay photographer can no longer take her maternity photos after learning of her ‘unacceptable lifestyle’
A pregnant mother retracted her request to work with an Alabama photographer after sifting through her social media page and seeing an LGBT pride flag.
It seems the woman initially reached out to the Mobile-based photographer, Faith Grace, 21, at some point this week and asked her to take her maternity photos, which she accepted.
A day later, the woman texted her again, concerned, inquiring about her sexual preferences after browsing through her Instagram page in search of her work and finding the pride flag.
In a public Twitter post, Grace shared a screenshot of the text message exchange, which she said absolutely ‘breaks her heart.’
Alabama photographer Faith Grace, 21, (pictured on Twitter) shared a screenshot of heartbreaking texts she received.
The woman started out by telling her: ‘Hi Faith! This is McKenna from last night. I was reaching out to you about maternity photos! I went through your personal Instagram account to get your photography business account and on your personal pad I saw that you had a pride flag. Are you gay or do you have family that’s gay?,’ she asked.
Grace replied: ‘Hey McKenna! Thanks for reaching out. Nobody in my fam is gay but I am – that’s why I have it on my account.’
That’s when the mother became furious and lashed out – going on to say she was no longer willing to work with her.
‘I see, OK well don’t worry about the photos then. I don’t want someone who’s gay to take my pictures. It’s just not right,’ she told Grace.
The woman told Faith she didn’t ‘want someone who’s gay to take’ her maternity photos.
‘I’m against it and the last thing I need is to allow my 5 year old child to think that being gay is OK/right because I don’t want them to be influenced by people like you.
‘I’m sorry that you think that this lifestyle is OK and acceptable. Take care, Faith.’
In the picture tweet posted Saturday night that quickly gained public attention, Grace asked people to ‘RT & share this to show people that hatred & discrimination still exists & it NEEDS to stop.’
Grace’s love of photography began was she was a teenager. She said she loves to tell the stories of people.
According to Grace’s professional Wix site, her passion for photography started when she was a teenager.
‘When I was around the age of 16 I got my hands on my very first camera (thanks Mom and Dad), since then I’ve been taking portraits of people. I’m a portraiture photographer,’ she explained in the ‘About me’ section of her page.
She said she loves to tell the stories of people – no matter how simple or prominent.
‘Bringing out the person’s true self through photography is something that I will always adore.’
‘I’m a portraiture photographer,’ Grace explained in the ‘About me’ section of her Wix page.
