I'm Here with You by Gowun Lee

The majority of LGBTQ people in South Korea hide their true identities from their colleagues, friends and their families. Despite a recent surge in LGBTQ activism, Korea remains a very conservative country and those who come out face being disowned by family or dismissed by their employers. Many Koreans still express bitter hostility toward LGBTQ people, while others simply deny their existence. This project literally and metaphorically represents the sexual minorities living in Korea who are forced to hide their sexual identity. The LGBTQ individuals photographed—all facing away from the camera—remind us that Korean society continues to neglect them, and refuses to accept them. In creating these images my intent is to both implicate the viewer in the nation’s larger refusal to acknowledge the identity of LGBTQ individuals and, more importantly, to spur us all to take action and change this attitude once and for all.