A Quick Intro to Gay and Lbian Seoul | Disverg Korea

Contents:

• GAY SOUTH KOREA: 'SHE SAID I DON'T NEED A SON LIKE YOU'
• GAY SOUTH KOREA TRAVEL GUI
• GAY LIFE SOUTH KOREA
• IN THE MP WORLD OF K-POP, ’S HARD FOR STARS TO BE GAY
• WHAT IS LIKE TO BE GAY SOUTH KOREA?
• THE COMPLITED LIV OF GAY MEN SOUTH KOREA
• GAY LIFE NORTH KOREA
• A QUICK INTRO TO GAY AND LBIAN SEOUL

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

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. Homosexualy may not be illegal South Korea - sce 2003 is no longer classified as "harmful and obscene" - but discrimatn remas wispread. 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.

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".

A huge screen was placed near the Queer Ftival square blastg a warng vio claimg that enuragg homosexualy would spread Aids and st tax payers lns. Meanwhile, Japan has elected s first openly gay lawmaker, and spe the current polil opposn, a survey found that 78% of people aged 20 to 60 favoured legalizg same-sex marriage. 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.

GAY SOUTH KOREA TRAVEL GUI

Along wh the chang merce have e alteratns human behavr and attus, cludg a recent softeng toward homosexualy by means of high tech munitn and age-old drama. 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. Except for one major difference: his tentn of studyg the USA is equally, if not more, motivated by his need to breathe valy to his emotnal life as a gay man.

There are no gay paras here yet but a few gay anizatns have formed such as Kirikiri and Sappho (lbian groups), Chgai (gay men’s group) and the Coaln of Stunt Gay Rights Groups.

More visibly and much more popular, gays and lbians are workg on the Inter and gettg a life–chattg, arrangg iendships and anizg activi. Jt before I left for Seoul, I typed “Korea gay” to a search enge and was nnected to the Korean BB room where an active list of notic had been recently posted.

GAY LIFE SOUTH KOREA

The gay magaze, Buddy was also first published this year and there are now some anized gay/ lbian muny groups at some universi, or on the Inter. The troductn by this young Korean native is remarkable s mcular optimism about a new dawn for the lbigay muny which has lived ep shadows for untls generatns. 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.

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

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? The Gay Korea webse has this helpful advice: “There are many small bars loted the center of Seoul the Nag Weon Dong neighborhood to the north and east of Topkol Park (Inpennce Park). 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.

WHAT IS LIKE TO BE GAY SOUTH KOREA?

S., England, Japan and Thailand, have long sce regnized the talent of gay members of their muni and ed them to help build succsful tourism dtri. “We thought this might help get rid of prejudice arisg om ignorance about gays, ” Kim said wh half an eye to the add entertament value of such rmal ssns. The story nclud wh, “a change public attus may be takg place, nsirg that Koreans seem more open to the ia of homosexualy, at least more so than before Hahahoho opened.

Another ocsn that recently forced the Korean public to s up and take notice of homosexualy was a popular TV edian /actor who was prsed to out himself last year. In numero magaz, TV and rad talks shows and newspapers, cludg the Christian Science Monor of January 17, 2001, Hong Seok-chon’s real life story put homosexualy onto the natnal circu.

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. This is among the first and most darg of groups to meet for the exprs purpose of supportg and affirmg the homosexual nature of s drop- members. For homosexuals, who are monly regard as psychologilly formed and a threat to prec tradnal valu of fay hn, the pariah stat n be suffotg.

THE COMPLITED LIV OF GAY MEN SOUTH KOREA

But wasn’t until 1991 when Shappo, an Amerin soldier who treated her lbianism as a badge of pri, formed the first visible gay group here. Increasgly, gays are enterg the mastream pecially at universi, formg clubs and f and, as is so evint om the Gay Korea webse, Inter groups across the untry.

A new force is at work here: the Seoul Internatnal Queer Film & Vio Ftival, an event voted to explorg gay them whout prejudice or limatns.

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. “Up until 1998, all films alg wh homosexualy were fed as too risqué for release Korea bee they went agast the ‘universal valu of the society.

GAY LIFE NORTH KOREA

” Acknowledgg the anti-gay sentiment here, the anizers of the queer filmft anizers went ahead wh plans for the first ftival 1997 whout seekg permissn om the ernment. “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. It attempts to rtore the life and voice of a mory group to filmmakg, and to help all gays and transsexuals realize that they are all a part of the muny.

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. The mocratizatn of society at large turn empowered the Korean gay muny, which had been pletely silenced and negated until then, fally to speak up and to tablish Chodong-hoe, the first gay rights activist group natnwi, 1993.

A QUICK INTRO TO GAY AND LBIAN SEOUL

Later divid to the Korean Gay Men's Human Rights Group Chgai ("Between Friends";) and the Lbian Counselg Center South Korea (), Chodong-hoe also paved the way for other LGBT rights groups such as the Solidary for LGBT Human Rights of Korea (), Korean Sexual Mory Culture and Rights Center (), and sexual mory stunts' clubs on llege mp across the untry. All that changed wh the tablishment of Chgai and other LGBT activist groups, however, which openly claimed gay rights and ma discsns on non-tradnal sexuali and genr inti public. As a rult, hherto silenced Korean homosexuals were able to create their own onle spac and even to ntribute to offle activi, th leadg to the speedy expansn of the gay muny self.

Today, homosexualy generat a variety of social disurs and even serv as a trend cultural s Korea, as evced by the creasg populary of queer-themed movi and TV shows such as The Kg and the Clown, Road Movie, Cafe Prce No. Neverthels, spe the nsequently loose anizatn of the Korean gay muny, LGBT rights activist groups have been strivg to create a healthy and diverse gay culture that promot and protects the rights of all sexual mori.

As may be expected, the Korean gay muny has not simply progrsed and expand unhred sce the early 1990's due to Confucianism and Christiany, two fluential iologi Korea today that ntue to view homosexualy as "unnatural" or "ungodly.