"It all started with this question of 'What do we tell the kids?' It's a question I've been asking myself and obsessing over in recent months. It started with the rise of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, and intensified while watching the vicious, mean-spirited, and often embarrassing 2016 election season. Through it all, I came back to the question...what do we tell the kids? "In October, I photographed and interviewed dozens of committed and concerned child development specialists in putting this project together, and it became very clear that I — and we as a brand — needed to keep these projects going. For the sake of today's youth and future leaders, we couldn't afford to shy away from often difficult, controversial topics. Stories need to be told, people need to be heard, and awareness needs to be raised so empathy for all people can be achieved "On January 1, we made a promise for 2017: to combat injustice and tackle discrimination by telling stories of those in embattled, marginalized populations, and we are excited to share our first project of the year. "My uncle passed away from AIDS when I was 13 years old. Next to my parents and sister, he was the closest person in my life. And the fact that he was a gay man, living in fear, unable to truly be himself for so much of his life haunts me to this day. So, for our next #WhatDoWeTellTheKids project, I wanted to feature proud members of the LGBTQ community here in my uncle's hometown of New York to shed light on the power and dangers of language. "I'm hoping this project serves as a catalyst to stop people from using harmful words that have impacted so many good people...and equally important, I hope it acts as a teaching tool for things we should be telling our kids. As we’ve seen happening around the world, I'm looking to create a ripple that causes a really really big wave of love.""I felt it was crucial to feature a variety of people in the LGBTQ community from all walks of life, with different upbringings, backgrounds and professions. I was really fortunate to get the participation from a host of incredibly passionate, talented and genuine people from the co-head writer of Saturday Night Live, to Vanity Fair's fashion market director, TED speakers, lawyers, activists, fashion designers, and staff at the Ali Forney Center . "What I loved so much about interviewing and photographing them all was that even though their opinions on specific harmful words and sayings may have been similar to one another, their reasonings why were all unique to them and their personal experiences. The word 'faggot' is like nails on the chalkboard for pretty much everyone in the community, but the emotions it stirs up and places it brings them were all different, and very real."