Over the past three years, photographer Lindsay Morris has been documenting a four-day camp for gender-non-conforming boys and their parents.

The camp in the US, "You Are You" (the name has been changed to protect the privacy of the children and is also the name of Morris' series), is for "parents who don't have a gender-conforming three-year-old who wants to wear high heels and prefers to go down the pink aisle in K-Mart and not that nasty dark boys' aisle", Morris said with a laugh.

It is also a place for both parents and children to feel protected in an environment that encourages free expression. "[The kids] don't have to look over their shoulders, and they can let down their guard. Those are four days when none of that matters, and they are surrounded by family members who support them.''

Morris has stated that her photographic goal for the project is "to represent the spirit of these boys as they shine". Some of the ways in which the boys shine is through the talent and fashion shows that are popular and for which they come well-prepared.

"Some practise for the talent show all year, and others create their own gowns with their mothers or friends of the family," she said. "The focus and enthusiasm is really pretty incredible. Also, it can be very emotional for the parents, especially the families who are new to camp and are experiencing this kind of group acceptance for the very first time."

Although it is unknown whether the children at the camp will eventually identify as gay or transgender - or even if how gender and sexuality are defined throughout society will evolve - the camp allows the boys to look at themselves in a different way. "They get enough questioning in their daily lives, so it's a great place for them to express themselves as they feel. I feel we hear so many of the sad stories and how LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender] kids are disproportionately affected by bullying, depression and suicide, and it hangs a heavy cloud over them and kind of dooms them from the beginning. I'm saying this is a new story. This is not a tragedy."

Morris hopes to eventually publish a book of her work and also launch a large multimedia show that travels the country and the world to show a new face of LGBT youth. The children featured here and in Morris' project are photographed with the permission of their parents. Her ultimate goal is to start a foundation that raises money to help underwrite the cost of camp for those boys unable to attend.

She hopes to add even more dimension to the project, concentrating on producing more portraiture and documenting the transition the boys experience when they arrive at the camp.

"I would really love to follow the kids into adulthood and see what kind of relationships they develop," Morris said. "I want to witness the evolution, knowing from where they started and see how life is going to play out for them - hopefully happily - and I think they're going to have a better transition into adulthood than the generation preceding them."

Slate

David Rosenberg is the editor of Slate's Behold blog. He has worked as a photo editor for 15 years.