:I

Karolina Bregula, Let Them See Us, 2003

Let Them See Us is a series of 30 photographic portraits of gay and lesbian couples holding hands. The project was created in response to discrimination against homosexuals in Poland, who often remain in the closet for fear of social ostracism. It was an attempt to break the taboo in public space by confronting the society with what it had repressed to the margins of visibility. The portraits were meant to avoid a sensational or extraordinary aura; they adopted the form of simple repetitive shots of ordinary people taking a stroll together. The photographs depict the people as they are in everyday life and highlight the similarity between them and the viewers. Apart from being shown at exhibitions, the portraits also featured in the first Polish billboard social campaign of the Campaign Against Homophobia. The initiative met with social resistance (attempts at blocking the campaign by the political party League of Polish Families, devastation of billboards), which only confirmed the necessity to oppose discrimination caused by sexual orientation and sparked off a debate on intolerance of homosexuals.

Their attack, which took place on 27 March 1943, was partially successful, and they managed to destroy 800,000 identity cards, and retrieve 600 blank cards and 50,000 guilders. The building was blown up and no one was caught on the night of the attack. However, due to an unknown betrayer, Arondéus was arrested on 1 April 1943. Arondéus refused to give up the rest of his team.

Arondéus was openly gay before the war and defiantly asserted his sexuality before his execution. His final words were:

"Tell the people that homosexuals are not by definition weak."