A man dressed as Jesus Christ at an LGBTQ Pride parade in Seoul, South Korea, has captured the imagination of people across the world.

Stood in front of Christian protesters, who bore a sign declaring: “Homosexuality is sin! Return to Jesus!”, Robert Evans held a sign which said simply: “I’m cool with it” in rainbow colours.

Robert in front of the Christian crowd(Rachel Stine)

“I wanted the message to be simple, positive, and contrary to the protesters and at the same time I wanted to be proudly supporting the equal human rights and acceptance of my many close friends,” said Evans, 27, who is an American photographer from Atlanta, Georgia but has lived in South Korea’s capital for four years.

Evans is heterosexual, but says he experienced what it felt like to be discriminated against when he first went to Seoul’s Pride event two years ago.

Jesus turns to the crowd(Rachel Stine)

“Walking amongst them and feeling their (the protesters’) pure hatred directed right at me as if I was gay was an unforgettable moment,” he said. “It was such a visceral experience that I was literally moved to tears.

“The hate was tangible and intense and as a straight western male I had never felt anything like it.”

Since that experience, Evans says he has developed close friendships in the LGBTQ community in Seoul – and this inspired him to “do something more” when this year’s pride came about.

Jesus faces the crowd(Rachel Stine)

“The only protesters that are there are Christians and they always preach a hate-filled interpretation of the teachings of Jesus,” said Evans, who isn’t religious.

“Since I have some resemblance to the classic representation of Jesus, I figured it would be meaningful to present an alternative interpretation.

“Korea still has a long way to go in terms of rights and acceptance but I’m glad to see and be a part of the small steps it is making in the right direction.

“Every year Pride gets bigger, the protests get smaller, and the long road towards equality gets a little bit shorter.”

The picture which was widely shared on Reddit and Twitter of Evans in his outfit was captured by Rachel Stine, a blogger who helps North Korean refugees and lives in Seoul.

According to Evans’ friends the response at the Pride event was warm too.

“Once we got inside the event people immediately began to congregate around him,” said Evans’ friend Simon Clarke, a 32-year-old Australian writer working in Korea. “Polite lines formed with people wanting photos.

“It began to almost feel like a piece of performance art.”

Clarke pointed out that Evans took a risk wearing the costume to the event as the Immigration Control Act in South Korea states: “No foreigner sojourning in the Republic of Korea shall engage in any political activity.”