<Out: Smashing Homophobia Project>, the second installation in the Feminist Video Activism WOM’s homophobia eradication project, is composed of three omnibus documentaries shot by three lesbians in their teens who are currently struggling with their sexual identities. While CHOI continues to question her lesbian identity after dropping out of school as a result of being outed, Chun-jae, the main protagonist in <Lesbian Censorship in School 1>, suffers a setback...more

<Out: Smashing Homophobia Project>, the second installation in the Feminist Video Activism WOM’s homophobia eradication project, is composed of three omnibus documentaries shot by three lesbians in their teens who are currently struggling with their sexual identities. While CHOI continues to question her lesbian identity after dropping out of school as a result of being outed, Chun-jae, the main protagonist in <Lesbian Censorship in School 1>, suffers a setback in her documentary project when she starts dating a guy in high school. Koma, a high school student who works as an activist at the Korean lesbian counseling center, has no problem accepting her sexuality. However, her life feels less than complete due to the “outing” that she experiences at the hands of her younger sisters and the pressure to hide her sexuality from her family and classmates. For all three girls, the cameras that they hold in their hands become means to voice issues that they cannot easily share with others. They also become means to question Korean society, which, through the institutions of family and school and their refusal to recognize difference, create “discrimination” and “isolation.” Finally, the cameras also serve as a mirror to reflect different selves for each of the girls, enabling them to sort through and overcome each of their issues. The ending of each omnibus is especially memorable when Choi, Chun-jae, and Koma engage in rap to challenge the rampant homophobia in Korean society. (Billy Choi) less