Models have made a NSFW calendar to help gay men in Chechnya
Reports of gay and bisexual men in Chechnya being subjected to torment have been circulating since April of this year.
Horrendous stories of a ‘concentration camp’ for gay men have emerged, with men affected desperately trying to flee the region.
It can sometimes feel impossible to know how to help – which is why a group of photographers and models have made it very easy.
A new calendar has been published to help raise money for those trying to flee, and it’s very much NSFW.
Photographer Balthier Corfi, one of the founders of Collectif TBD Models, has teamed up with stylist Todd Hanshaw to create a very special 2018 calendar.
The new calendar, Butt 2018, features a string of beautiful men stripping off in aid of charity, many leaving little to the imagination.
EXPLAINED: What is happening in Chechnya?
Profits from the project will be donated to Rainbow Railroad, a Canadian charity which works to protect LGBT people from discrimination across the globe.
Rainbow Railroad has partnered with the Russian LGBT Network for the calendar, in a bid to help bring detained men to safety, providing them with visas and legal assistance, among any other needs they may have.
RELATED: Gay journalist who helped uncover Chechnya abuse faces deportation
“Thanks to wonderful word of mouth and great outlets […] orders have already started rolling in — Australia, France, Italy, U.K., Canada and the US — we are very excited,” Todd Hanshaw told Refinery29.
“This experience has been very emotional,” he exaplined.
“We are not doctors or scientists – we work in the fashion world and it took us a while to figure out what to do, but we knew we had to do something!
“We create beauty and in the face of this ugly moment in history – some beauty and light is needed.”
The charity calendar can be ordered here.
