Portraiture Finalist

be:longing documents the lives of older Muslim trans people in Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia. Religion plays a central role in Indonesian society, and nearly 90 per cent of the population is Muslim. People of the queer community are faced with the challenge of reconciling their faith, their identity and society's expectations. Although trans women, known as waria (a mixture of the words wanita (woman) and pria (man)), have long been part of Javanese culture, they are not recognised by conservative Muslims, are usually excluded from formal employment opportunities, and many lose the support of their families after coming out. Over generations, a strong trans community has established its own safe spaces in Yogyakarta. At Pondok Pesantren Al-Fatah they meet with friends to study the Quran and pray, while the Waria Crisis Centre (WCC) provides a home in old age, through illness or at difficult phases of life.

Marisa Reichert (b. 1987) is a portrait and documentary photographer based in Berlin. She graduated from the Ostkreuz School of Photography in Berlin in 2022. Her work focuses on socially relevant issues surrounding human rights, identity, gender and religion.