Elska's Salt Lake City issue shows the proud queerness of one of America's most conservative cities
| 11/15/24
Forget what you think you know about Salt Lake City!
Courtesy Elska Magazine
It turns out, the Utah capital, though very conservative, also has a sizeable, sexy, and proud community filled with LGBTQ+ folks who are living their lives in full — and beloved queer travel and photography zine Elska is here to help prove that!
Though religion does play a big part on many of the stories of the handsome gents taking up the pages of Elska's 49th issue (SLC has a huge population of followers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints), it's not the only thing about them, and Elska's latest batch of sensual, intimate portraits humanizes and puts faces to names when it comes to life after being raised in Mormonism. And, as a release points out, this is the second issue since Elska Melbourne where "every one of the participants opted to bare all in their photoshoots, surprising anyone who thought a Utah issue would be buttoned-up."
"For many years I've toyed with the idea of making an issue in Salt Lake City, but I had a difficult time weighing the potential pros and cons," Elska's Liam Campbell said in a statement. "On one hand, it would be an excellent opportunity to show what life is like for gay Utahns and to know how the legacy of the LDS church affects their lives. On the other hand, I feared that too many potential readers would expect us to fetishize Mormon boys, and would be disappointed when we inevitably failed to publish an mag full of horny elders in their white garments."
"Ultimately I found that my hopes and fears converged in a way that proved I'd satisfy both those who eschew and those who desire stereotypes," Campbell continued. "I found that Mormonism played a huge role in this edition, especially in the stories the men contributed, but also in the photography, which featured not one but two men who opted to do a scene wearing their missionary 'uniform' but with the trousers off, or even wearing nothing but their elder badge."
Scroll through to see more portraits from Elska's Salt Lake City issue. And for more information on Elska and to order the issue for yourself, visit their official website here.
Goldin F.
Courtesy Elska Magazine
Jaydee B.
Courtesy Elska Magazine
Evan J.
Courtesy Elska Magazine
Scott S.
Courtesy Elska Magazine
Kaz I.
Courtesy Elska Magazine
Johnny H.
Courtesy Elska Magazine
Daniel R.
Courtesy Elska Magazine
Jay E.
Courtesy Elska Magazine
John A.
Courtesy Elska Magazine
Tyson C.
Courtesy Elska Magazine
Goldin F.
Courtesy Elska Magazine
Jasper P.
Courtesy Elska Magazine
Evan J.
Courtesy Elska Magazine
Courtesy Elska Magazine
See more of the men of Salt Lake City in the print issue, available on Elska's official website here!
