Mariette Pathy Allen’s photographic journey with gender diversity began in 1978, with images of this often underrepresented community defying the sensationalism often seen in media coverage at the time. Her intimate portraits of individuals, couples, and families depicted as relatable people helped reshape the then common perceptions of gender-variant individuals as freaks or deviants. Allen’s disarming modus operandi throughout her career has been to extend invitations to countless individuals to be themselves in front of her camera.