(Above) Photo by Zach Suggs

(Right) Eli wears his old sorority hat in remembrance of the person he used to be.

A deeply personal project, Judge is a photo book composed of photos by Will Crooks from a shoot of Eli in his home, a 1982 holiday rambler ramblette.

The title “Judge” is both an acknowledgment of family legacy and an invitation to judge the subject—Eli, being himself, existing outside the gender binary and navigating life in the South.

Judge captures a moment in time in which Eli has created a home and a life for himself. A changeable and impermanent home that, like Eli, has been a subject of disapproval.

(Right) A portrait of Judge Peeples, being unveiled by Perry Cate and a young Eli. The family patriarch passed away in fall of 2024.

(Above) A page from Eli’s sketchbook. Using art as a way to process his grandfather’s passing, Eli reflects on a phrase often repeated to him by family members to explain the Judge’s behavior towards him, “He just doesn’t know what to do with you.”

The title is also hand-drawn by Eli.