My Rape Wasn’t a Choice by Alberto Lau-Chang
Artist’s Statement
I took this picture on May 14, 2022, in San Diego, California, during a Women’s March to protest the leaked U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion that eventually overturned Roe v. Wade. More than four years later, the message the photograph conveys is still relevant. We all—men, women, and people who choose to identify in a different way—must still fight for body autonomy and integrity of one’s entire self. Unfortunately, I don’t know the name of the brave young person in the picture. We did not have a chance to speak, though clearly they wanted me to take their picture. They paused, and moved on. Perhaps when the photo is published somebody will see it and identify them.
I took the image with a Leica Q2 Monochrom (Leica’s spelling), a camera that only takes pictures in black and white. Indeed, one of my favorite modes of expression is black and white photography, and this camera forces a commitment to monochrome. The absence of color relies on economy, analogous to the way poetry relies on the power of fewer words.
Alberto Lau-Chang is a bilingual writer, photographer, and documentary filmmaker. Previously, he was an architect and construction manager. He wrote for the San Diego Reader on photography, art, and architecture. He was born in Guatemala of Chinese parents. Mr. Lau-Chang has a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Architecture from Yale University. He studied photography under Walker Evans and architecture under Charles Moore. His virtues are unpublished, and he has no known public vices.
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