Historically, Christopher Street and the Pier were havens for young LGBTQ people of color.  This remains true today, but the area has become increasingly hostile towards young queer people of color and there are clashes between them and the mostly white gentrifiers of the West Village.  Many believe the "Pier Kids", the young queer kids who congregate in the neighborhood, bring with them violence and reduce property values.  There have been some high-profile cases of this kind of violence, most recently was the case dubbed, "Attack of the Killer Lesbians", where seven young lesbians fought against unwanted sexual attention. 

Often, these young LGBTQ people are depicted negatively as mere trouble makers instead of perhaps just being the next generation of queer kids who call Christopher Street home.  Ves' idea was to show a different side of the folks who socialize at the Pier, especially during Gay Pride: the playful, proud, and beautiful sides.

I was nervous to approach the Parade goers at first.  I was a total stranger and walking up to women with a white guy with a camera asking to take their photos to publish on my website, I admit was a strange request.  Surprisingly, of the hundreds of photos Ves took, not one single person said no and nobody seemed hesitant about their images being on the Web.  There was no fear that someone would find out that they were LGBTQ and everyone was eager to show off their pride.