Alejandro Ibarra photography project pairs photos of LGBTQ individuals with their personal stories of coming out.

Ibarra says he was inspired to start the series after a friend told him how he came out to his family.

Even though [my friend’s coming out experience] was very different from mine, I really related to it: to him, his emotions, his concerns. It was almost like it had happened to me. I knew then that it would have the same effect on pretty much most of the community because, whatever you happen to identify as ― this is one thing we all have in common.”

Ibarra says that no matter how someone identifies or what their experience was like, “coming out” is a universal rite of passage that all LGBTQ people who open up about their sexuality or gender identity share.

Talking to HuffPost Ibarra explained that no matter how someone identifies or what their experience was like, “coming out” is a universal rite of passage that all LGBTQ people who open up about their sexuality or gender identity share.

Even though [my friend’s coming out experience] was very different from mine, I really related to it: to him, his emotions, his concerns. It was almost like it had happened to me. I knew then that it would have the same effect on pretty much most of the community because, whatever you happen to identify as ― this is one thing we all have in common.”

As a creative pursuit, Ibarra wants Coming Out Stories to be both a testament of the power of storytelling and also perhaps a way to relieve some anxiety for LGBTQ people that may still be in the closet.

Check out more of the Coming Out Stories project below and head to Ibarra’s website to see more of his work.