K-pop: Why 's hard for stars to be gay South Korea | CNN

Contents:

• GAY FILM KOREA
• GAY SOUTH KOREA TRAVEL GUI
• GAY LIFE SOUTH KOREA
• GAY SEOUL SEOUL CY GUI
• IN THE MP WORLD OF K-POP, ’S HARD FOR STARS TO BE GAY
• NORTH KOREA’S ‘ONLY OPENLY GAY FECTOR’ FDS LOVE
• GAY SOUTH KOREA: 'SHE SAID I DON'T NEED A SON LIKE YOU'
• THE BEST SEOUL GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS SEOUL
• GAY LIFE NORTH KOREA

GAY FILM KOREA

Wily regnized as South Korea’s first openly gay K-pop artist, the sger and actor Go Tae-seob, who the stage name Holland, starred a BL drama last year and believ that the growg visibily of BL books, TV seri and movi is a posive step. Special thanks to mansaoz, kimyong, PJack, MTguy, aznpoo, ernst, ernst, gaysoulpas, brizner, reoboy500, johnuis, alwaystravln, ABC, byungdohsuh, Jason, marcr, BrianT, JiHoon, barry_bonk, neosko, junrz, ryoo, Nena, grgo_nb, , laislili, chobapgirl, YKK, OrangeTaBomb, Ellisa, Melo, Star Kim, Rebecka, Allison D., Patrice H., Grace, Ple, Isabelle, Gq, MWK, David, Jack G., Sean, Marc R., Han-Su, Jimmy K., Chad, Mark, C. The Mistry acted after an April 2001 cisn by the Korean Informatn and Communitns Ethics Commtee (ICEC)--an officially pennt body wh wi censorship powers--which classified homosexualy unr the tegory of "obsceny and perversn" s "Creria for Incent Inter S.

The owner of, the first and largt gay webse Korea, received a notice statg that if did not immediately mark self as a 'harmful se' and stall filterg software to prevent youth accs, he would be penalized wh a fe of approximately US$10, 000 or two years imprisonment. On January 10, 2002, affiliatn wh Lbian and Gay Alliance Agast Discrimatn (LGAAD) and the Lawyers for a Democratic Society filed the first lawsu agast Korean ernment for unnstutnally blockg accs. On April 2, 2003 the Korean Natnal Human Rights Protectn Commtee officially advised Korea's Youth Protectn Commtee to remove anti-gay language om the 1997 Youth Protectn Act that that unrpned the 2001 Mistry of Informatn and Communitns cisn.

This group seeks to abolish discrimatn agast sexual mori; foster operatn among mory groups; tablish an alliance agast opprsn of workers; tablish shields agast illegal vtigatn of gay bars and biased news reportg about sexual mori; and to strengthen HIV/AIDS tn aimed at youth. "This has been the most difficult issue to make yet", says Liam Campbell, edor and chief photographer of Elska, "We ntacted lerally hundreds of guys but the vast majory preferred to stay 'discreet', fearg that exposure any sort of gay media uld jeopardise their jobs, their fai, everythg.

GAY SOUTH KOREA TRAVEL GUI

The rult is a readg experience that giv an timate look si queer Seoul, as if we travelled together wh the Elska team to Seoul and met the guys real of the men the Seoul issue clu:U L, who shar his experience durg a trip to a tradnal bathhoe (a jjimjilbang), told through a lens of uncertaty and self-nscns;Jay S, who scrib the moment when his mother nonts him wh the accatn that he is gay;Ivan J, who reunts an afternoon of vegetable-aid masturbatn set to the soundtrack of hymnal Bach;Heezy Y, who talks about the difficulti of fdg succs a society so full of expectatns and nformy;Jose S-M, who as one of a large number of foreigners livg Seoul reflects upon his seven years livg the cy;Jam K, who discs tryg to rencile how to be a Korean man agast the opposg standard of masculy set by his Seoul is 180 pag. While there are very ltle rights protectg LGBT cizens, South Korea's tolerance of the LGBT muny is growg and a gay neighborhood exists the cy of Seoul where visors n enjoy the nightlife to the early hours of the morng.

Mostly hidn clubs and bars, pigeon-holed off to late dancg or drkg wh iends and stashed far om fay bs, gay Koreans live wh a very strong heterosexual tradn that clus more than jt the expectatns of takg a spoe. From fluorcent donut shops to the sleazy dim trigue of massage parlors sportg red velvet sofas, the noisy and trendy straight diss, div and fast food jots offers enough distractn and amement to mask a dozen gay bars and diss.

GAY LIFE SOUTH KOREA

Itaewon is also home to other gay venu such as Zipper (s possible to fall down the stairs bee the lightg is poor), Out Class (quiet, good for chattg), Trance (drag show on weekends), Why Not?

On Augt 4, 2000, the ‘Korea Herald’ newspaper reported a ntroversial new arrival Seoul: “The first show of s kd ever staged notorly homophobic Korea, the Hahahoho Show featur an all-gay st of ne homosexuals and ne transsexuals. Some abhorred the immoraly threateng tradnal valu while others wanted him to stand up and be proud, seeg him as wrg a new page Korea’s long reprsed attus about sexualy, pecially gay rights.

GAY SEOUL SEOUL CY GUI

Sce began 1998, this non-petive, non-mercial biennial event–whose ma goal is to change Korea’s homophobic attus–has had a great impact on Korean dienc who were prevly left the dark about the subject. The ftival was reported the Korean Herald of Augt 4, 2000: “Among the most notable movi on the 2000 program are “Boys Don’t Cry” (1999), the te story of a girl who pass herself off as a boy; “The World’s Happit Gay Couple, ” an animated work that won nsirable attentn and praise at the 2000 Puchon Internatnal Film Ftival; and “Queer as Folk, ” the popular Brish TV drama on gay youths. “As far for the specific program, the event was divid to five major tegori: “Gay Boys go to the Theater/Gay Girls go to the Theater”; “Lbian, Gay, Transgenr Documentary, ” the short film sectn; miscellaneo; and the Korean film segment… The Korean film sectn was a ftival highlight as anizers poted out the latent homosexualy some of Korea’s most reprentative films.

The power of the Inter’s technology, the sire for Saturday night entertament, urageo and betiful crossdrsers, the impact of a TV personaly, a fiant film ftival and the quiet validatn of support groups–no one of the will break the prejudice of Korea’s anti-gay nce.

IN THE MP WORLD OF K-POP, ’S HARD FOR STARS TO BE GAY

When the BBC posted a vio about the make-up route of a 16-year-old YouTuber Seoul on Facebook, the reactns ranged om trigued to downright assumed this meant he was gay, while others admonished him for his choice sayg "real men don't wear make-up".

He says he's been lled gay by some Koreans onle for as long as he's been dog make-up ptn, A YouTube vlogger talks about why he wears make-upWhen asked about whether he thought he looked feme after he put on make-up, he was nfed by the qutn as if he had never even thought about .

“On the one hand looks like the dtry is very open md to shippg culture, ” she told CNN, referrg to the culture among fans of imagg relatnships between their favore stars – cludg gay relatnships. In the absence of nfirmatn, mentators have ed small, clive clu to speculate on their stance, for example, the time the band’s lear RM tweeted Macklemore’s song “Same Love, ” which promot equal rights for gay people.

NORTH KOREA’S ‘ONLY OPENLY GAY FECTOR’ FDS LOVE

He turned the page to disver an article about gay men g out, wh a scene om an Amerin film showg two men kissg source, Chosun-ilboImage ptn, Jang's risky fectn route ma headl the SouthFally dawned on Jang that he, too, was gay. Image source, Getty ImagImage ptn, Christian anti-LGBT protters are makg their prence felt at gay events like here SeoulHe proudly showed me his T-shirt wh a special rabow logo on , one that lls for an anti-discrimatn law. Jt unr half of South Koreans don't want a gay iend, neighbour or lleague, acrdg to one natnwi survey by The Korea Social Integratn ptn, Why holidays n be tough for S Korea's LGBT munyThe proportn of gay and lbian teenagers who have been exposed to vlence is also high.

GAY SOUTH KOREA: 'SHE SAID I DON'T NEED A SON LIKE YOU'

He was alone a park late at night when he was approached by a man who told him homosexualy was an unfiveable s and he should return home to his parents, before beatg him wh a bamboo stick.

The Prottant Christian Communy is so ncerned that homosexualy will be accepted South Korea that has cid to hold s first "real love" event Ban - jt a month after the Queer Ftival anisers were forced to ncel their own event the cy. In a statement to the BBC, they said LGBTQ people were "uhil and abnormal" so their discrimatn was "the right kd of discrimatn" ptn, Menorah said she felt a rponsibily to stop LGBTQ people "om gog to hell"In September, this fluential church group turned up at the Queer Ftival Incheon, South Korea's send biggt cy, their waved paper fans which said NO to homosexualy and YES to "real love".

THE BEST SEOUL GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS SEOUL

While not herently a gay Korean drama, Be Melodramatic is a show that will tug at the heartstrgs of viewers thanks to s three-dimensnal portrayal of s characters, as well as s relatable narrative. Beg Asian Amerin and LGBTQ+ n feel lonely, wh stutns such as ethnic church often disavowg non-heterosexual relatnships while tradnal LGBTQ+ spac such as gay bars n be unwelg to people of lor. “Fdg plac like GAMeBoi, where beg queer and Asian do -exist … It’s not like a 1, 000-year-old Korean cultural rual, but I uld create a new rual, ” said Ahn, a recent Friday, hundreds packed QT Nightlife’s monthly K-Pop Night at Micky’s, a Wt Hollywood gay club a block or so east om the old GAMeBoi posed for selfi a pk Barbie box wh dis balls hangg overhead.

” (Michael Owen Baker / For The Tim) Even historilly gay neighborhoods like Wt Hollywood or San Francis’s Castro district, Asian Amerins have long been ignored or fetishized, seen as feme and weak.

” Asian Amerin advocy groups cricized Duran’s remark, wh API Equaly-LA potg to the long history of discrimatn agast Asian men gay muni such as Wt Hollywood, whose clubs “ed to require three forms of photo intifitn om anyone they perceived as Asian. From powerful ntrollg domants to timate worshippers wh a hole to fill, the gay Korean Onlyfans stars will rock your world like a perfectly aged kimchi, and their lastg impact will live si your imagatn long afterwards.

GAY LIFE NORTH KOREA

Adam* said was dangero to e out as gay his home untry and feared beg forced to an arranged marriage wh a said he was "so lucky" to wed his soulmate, Ray, Manchter and wish everyone uld marry who they love. 'Authentilly myself'Ray said he had also stggled growg up gay the 1970s and 80s England, which was "tough" said his relig school "dmmed to you, 'you are gog to hell'" Adam returned home to Sdi Arabia, spe beg more than 3, 000 apart and later rtricted by the Covid-19 panmic, they kept touch daily and the romance years ago, Ray proposed on a vio ll and after succsfully applyg for a UK fiancé visa, Adam moved to Manchter December 2022.