Tag: gays

According to the KoreAm Journal they are hoping that the recent Supreme Court ruling legalizing gay marriage across the US will help change the opinions that supposedly many in the Korean-American community have about gays:

As much as Friday’s ruling resonated around the country, some advocacy groups are urging greater acceptance within the greater Korean American community of LGBTQ individuals—an issue touched on by KoreAm in this June 2013 feature story about the community’s attitudes towards same-sex marriage.

“We’re thrilled by the national progress on LGBTQ equality, but deeply disappointed by the hostility we and our families continue to face in Korean American communities,” The Dari Project, an LGBTQ Korean American organization based in New York City, said in a statement. “There’s no way to sugarcoat it: homophobia and transphobia are still incredibly serious problems in Korean American communities and cause very real harm to LGBTQ Korean Americans.

“We urge Korean American allies to not be silent when they witness homophobia and transphobia in Korean American communities and to use today’s court decision to start conversations in their families, churches and other Korean American community spaces that will help Korean American communities recognize the humanity of LGBTQ people just as the Supreme Court did today,” added the organization. [KoreAm Journal]

You can read more at the link, but considering how churches are such an integral part of many Korean-American communities it may take a while for opinions to change, but I think they eventually will.

Some how I don’t think this issue is going to make it very high up on President Park’s priority list:

A famous gay sauna in Seoul has banned old, unattractive foreigners, according to a source who was refused entry.

Black is a gay bathhouse in Shinnonhyeon, Seoul that made the headlines in 2012 when the owner was arrested for allowing gays to have sexual intercourse in his public bathhouse.

About 20 people were engaging in a sexual act when the police burst into the sauna according to media reports.

The business still thrives today as people consider it to be a “hot place” but people are also being turned down because they are too old, too fat or from an ethnic minority.

“When trying to visit there I was rejected saying that this place was only for KOREAN PEOPLE,” the source said on the Consumer Complaints Forum of The Korea Observer.

“Clearly foreigners for them means white people and not Asian because I saw a Chinese guy going inside which is a clear discrimination based on race. I was very offended by this policy.”

He said it was very disappointing to see “an already discriminated minority such as being gay goes on to discriminate against another minority such as being a foreigner.”  [Korea Observer]

You can read the rest at the link, but the bathhouse says it only discriminates against unattractive foreigners who are fat or old.  For those that are wondering this is actually perfectly legal in Korea because there are no laws that forbid discrimination by business owners based on race in Korea.

https://twitter.com/pearswick/status/611461194960908288

It will be interesting to see what kind of turn out this Christian group has against the queer festival:

Non-affirming Christian groups are circulating a text message requesting support for a protest against the opening ceremony of the Queer Cultural Festival to show the world how “moral” Korea is.

“By filling Chunggye Square and the pedestrian way with protestors we show our Korean morals to the world,“ Professor Gil Won-Pyoung said in text message that he is encouraging people to circulate on Kakao, Facebook and other social media channels.

“We have a duty as Koreans to do our utmost best to show our morals, as Korea is the only country to prevent the trending flow of homosexuality,” he said.

The Korea Observer translated this message in full for our readers:  [Korea Observer]

You can read the message at the link, but this guy is obviously delusional if he thinks Korea is stopping the trend of homosexuality.  The openness of gays in Korea has shifted dramatically for the positive in the past two decades.  Does this guy want Korea to be like Iran that hangs gays?  If the participants are not bothering anyone with their festival then this Christian group should show some respect and just leave them alone.

I think in this case the Seoul police are correct in how they are handling this issue.  If there is going to be a confrontation between different groups why would should the police allow this to happen in the middle of Seoul and make traffic miserable for everyone that works there?:

Police have denied permission for a street parade highlighting the rights of sexual minorities scheduled for later this month in central Seoul, upsetting the event’s organizers.

According to the festival organizer Monday, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency turned down the organizer’s request for the June 28 parade.

It was planned as a part of events for the Korea Queer Festival, which will run from June 9-28. The opening ceremony will take place at Seoul Plaza, and the parade was also scheduled to start at the plaza.

The police said other groups had already submitted plans to stage a parade at the same time and location. They also said that the organizer’s parade, which was to proceed from the plaza and along Cheonggye Stream before returning to the plaza, would worsen traffic conditions in the area.

The festival organizers protested.

“For the last 15 years, the festival has not caused any traffic problems,” said one member of the festival organizing committee.

The Korea Queer Festival marks its 16th year this year. Previously, festivals and parades were held on the streets of Sinchon, where there is a large college student population. This was the first event planned for Seoul Plaza.

The organizer suspects others who scheduled events that effectively blocked the street parade were conservative Christian groups which opposed the festival, thus giving police an excuse to say no to the parade.  [Korea Times]

You can read more at the link.

This group does make a good point in regards to heterosexual relationships allowed to have kissing in the Korean dramas, but this drama is being investigated for allowing homosexual kissing:

Rainbow Action against Sexual Minority Discrimination, a group that works to raise awareness about sexual minorities and their rights, held a press conference Tuesday to request the KCSC end discussions for disciplinary measures against JTBC drama “Seonam Girls High School Investigators.”

The drama, which tells the story of five students who, as members of a private investigator club, go up against private education, abortion, bullying and suicide, aired kiss scenes between two schoolgirls on Feb. 25 and March 4.

When a complaint was filed with the KCSC, the communications regulator convened a meeting March 18 to deliberate the matter. The drama is rated for viewing by those 15 and older.

“‘Seonam Girls’ is a rare drama that accurately depicts the lives of sexual minorities in a society that pretends people with such preferences don’t exist,” members of Rainbow Action said. “Deliberators at a meeting on Feb. 25 said the drama may encourage homosexuality and went as far as to make inappropriate comments, claiming they believe sexual minorities suffer from a mental disability.”

It continued, “The people who need to be deliberated are the deliberators. Other dramas that have dealt with teens and their sexual relationships were aired with no problems, so to discipline Seonam Girls is discrimination against sexual minorities.”  [Korea Times]

You can read more at the link.

Gay North Korean soldiers spotted on South Korean CCTV http://t.co/m9M5TpXdLf #ROK #DPRK

— Tammy 진 (@KungPaoKimchi) January 26, 2015

I hope there is more to this story that we don’t know about because there is no way this guy should be punished the way he is for enforcing appropriate dining out conduct:

The Army is moving to discharge a decorated combat pilot who intervened to stop two lesbian officers from showing what he considered inappropriate affection on the dance floor during a full-dress formal ball at Fort Drum, New York, in 2012.

Lt. Col. Christopher Downey, who was once assigned to the White House and completed tours in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, ended up being convicted administratively of assaulting a soldier trying to videotape the kissing and grabbing. Col. Downey’s attorney, Richard Thompson, says his client merely pushed down the camera to prevent photos and video that could end up on social media.

Mr. Thompson said Col. Downey’s commanding officer also convicted him of violating the directive that ended the ban on gays openly serving in the military.

“It’s political correctness run wild,” Mr. Thompson said. “Military rules do not apply to lesbian officers because of political correctness.” (Washington Times)

You can read more at the link, but to me it is amazing how many careers I have seen ruined by dining outs.

It will be interesting to see how this turns out, but I expect eventually gay marriage will become a normal practice in Korea just like it is in the US:

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon has put himself at the center of controversy after he expressed his support for same-sex marriage during his recent trip to the United States.

Talking to the San Francisco Examiner, Park was quoted as saying, “I personally agree with the rights of homosexuals,” adding Korea would become the first Asian nation to legalize same-sex marriage.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) homepage was immediately inundated with comments, most of them complaints.

Park has successfully drawn public attention, but it remains to be seen whether this bold political gamble will help the potential presidential bid of Park, a liberal-minded former NGO leader.  [Korea Times]

You can read more at the link, but interesting both the religious groups and the gay activists groups are upset Mayor Park’s stance.  The gay activist groups do not think he is doing enough.