L.A. Photographer Sharing Stories of Fargo LGBTQ Youth Through “Project Contrast”

Maxwell Poth is originally from Salt Lake City, traveling the country to ten states to take his photographs

FARGO, N.D. — A Los Angeles photographer is traveling across the country to make a difference in the lives of LGBTQ kids. Now he’s in Fargo.

Maxwell Poth came up with the idea for his non-profit “Project Contrast” after a teen in his hometown took his own life for being gay. Poth realized he needed to use his platform to show LGBTQ kids they aren’t alone. The photographer will now get kids from Fargo’s LGBTQ group Kaleidoscope to share their stories with kids across the country.

“I photograph them, I ask them to write their stories and what makes them confident and who they are. At the end of these stories, I ask them to give advice to queer youth just like them because I want to make this relatable. I want to make this project relatable and I want these kids to understand that it gets better but what can you do until it gets better,” Poth said.

Poth will release a book at the end of the year with queer teens from ten states. Kaleidoscope has meetings every Tuesday at 5 p.m. at the F-M Pride Collective.