(Photo courtesy Hornet Designs)
The Good Page features positive LGBTQ+ news in Central Florida and Tampa Bay, uplifting and inspiring stories highlighting locals in our community.
Here, we introduce you to Gabby Cohen, a graphic design and visual marketing professional who’s helping others see themselves through their business.
While they’ve worked at various companies over the years, Cohen and their wife, Emily, have owned Hornet Designs since 2011. Gabby handles the graphic design side of things while Emily focuses on social media management.
Now, Hornet Designs is offering their clients a new service: gender-affirming photo edits. It started last year when a friend asked Gabby if they could edit childhood photos to reflect their gender identity.
“They asked if it was something I could do because they were not able to find someone that they trusted to do it,” Gabby recalls. Before jumping into the project, they wanted to find a way to practice first, as it was the first time they would be manipulating images in this way.
“I needed to try it first but it was like, how do I find a photo to edit?” they explain. “I could use a stock photo and change the clothes, but it felt inauthentic. I wasn’t really comfortable with that.”
So, Gabby decided to use their own childhood photos. Ultimately, the editing request resonated with their own journey of self-discovery.
“I realized how deeply personal and how affirming it was to do,” they say. “When I was younger, I was a tomboy … and in the last few years, I came out as nonbinary, and as a butch and masculine of center person, it’s kind of just an ongoing journey for me all the time, and really gray and nuanced.”
Looking at their own childhood photos, they recalled screaming at their mother when she put them in more feminine outfits.
“It didn’t really occur to me that I might feel better if some of those memories didn’t occur or if I could change these images,” they note. “But as a gender non-conforming person myself and nonbinary it made a lot of sense. I could understand it.”
They took “a natural, realistic approach” to their edits, removing bows and frills from outfits and leaving their hair the length it was, as it looked natural for that age. The photos are seen above.
“I wanted it to look like a picture of me and what I looked like,” Gabby says. Then, they shared the images with their mother, who loved them.
“I’m very aware of the privilege I have that my mother is supportive of my doing this and is supportive, period, but not everybody has that,” they add.
This informs their approach to which clients they take on for gender-affirming photo edits. It boils down to requiring that the person in the photo be aware of the edits being made and approve the project.
“Everyone has to be consenting. It’s not a gift that you give to somebody without their knowledge,” Gabby says. “We’ve had parents reach out and say they’d love to give it as a gift, but we cannot do that without the consent of the person in the image.”
The couple has come up with a way to handle well-meaning family members who want to surprise a loved one with gender-affirming images: offering them a gift certificate.
There is no set price for the photo edits. Instead, they evaluate each project case by case, including the number of photos.
“Photographs are a powerful way to affirm your identity and share it with the world,” their website reads. “Whether you’re in the process of transitioning or simply want to see yourself as you truly are … we provide customized edits that align with your vision, and you get a high quality, authentic image, ready to share or cherish.” Learn more at HornetDesigns.com.
Interested in being featured in The Good Page? Email Editor-in-Chief Jeremy Williams at Jeremy@WatermarkOnline.com in Central Florida or Managing Editor Ryan Williams-Jent at Ryan@WatermarkOnline.com in Tampa Bay.
