This is a bit old, but still a fun read. KoreAm, a monthly magazine published in the states for Korean and Asian Americans, dedicated an issue back in 1993 to the Korean American queer community. While some things have definitely changed, I would imagine a lot of the issues posed in the journal continue to effect Korean Americans today (tiger moms, coming out, multiple identities, family dynamics). At the same time, the articles seem to feel a bit dated and it is easy to see how far we have come as a society; gay marriage is now supported by the majority of Americans and while coming out can still be difficult, families are a lot more accepting and open than they were in the 1990s.
One article was written from the perspective of a Korean in the motherland. In 'Behing Gay Bars in Korea', C.H. Young writes:
Here I'm on the assumption that we only have the bar style of Gay culture in Korea. So what does that mean? As you know, it's a place to drink, talk, relax, etc. And as you also konw, there are very limited opportunities available for Gays emotionally. What happens then is that only phyiscal activity is emphasized.
Gay Koreans call each other bogal, a derogatory term which means 'bitch'. It seems we even think of ourselves as inferior and untrusting objects. Gays coming out of the close soon learn bitterness and hate toward other Gays. Some survive the cruel lesson. But a lot of Gays learn not to trust other Gay people and avoid involvement in anything concerning their privacy.
I see this in some of my gay friends in Korea; while they may be looking for love, they only end up getting physical intimacy. Promiscuity is a factor in all gay communities, but I think the culture in Korea does promote one night stands pretty heavily...
I also enjoyed 'Coming Home to a Closet' by Kang Byung-Chu Dredge.
For the rice queen, an Asian man is simultaneously only a body and has no body. The passion for the Asian man is a passion for his body, as a vessel during sexual intercourse and as an artifact of an exotic, foreing culture that can be bought. He is a body rather than a personality. The Asian man, however, is also idealized as a small, meek, passive toy without physical, and, in some cases, economic strength. This is especially true for Asian men who are newly-arrived, limited English speakers who are likely to have smaller frames.
I'll admit that when I grew up in the states I had this image of Asian men as meek and passive. Now, I realize the obvious; people are pretty much the same everywhere. And man do the guys here have physical strength (and economic strength to boot). While I jokingly refer to myself as The Kimchi Queen, I obviously eat things other than cabbage. Is it bad, though, that my eyes tend to hover over Asians? Or is it just because there are so many eligible guys here to choose from that I just skim over the non-Koreans?
The entire issue of The Queer Issue is available online. It is a bit grainy, unfortunately, but if you zoom in a bit you can get through it.
Here I'm on the assumption that we only have the bar style of Gay culture in Korea. So what does that mean? As you know, it's a place to drink, talk, relax, etc. And as you also konw, there are very limited opportunities available for Gays emotionally. What happens then is that only phyiscal activity is emphasized.
Gay Koreans call each other bogal, a derogatory term which means 'bitch'. It seems we even think of ourselves as inferior and untrusting objects. Gays coming out of the close soon learn bitterness and hate toward other Gays. Some survive the cruel lesson. But a lot of Gays learn not to trust other Gay people and avoid involvement in anything concerning their privacy.
I see this in some of my gay friends in Korea; while they may be looking for love, they only end up getting physical intimacy. Promiscuity is a factor in all gay communities, but I think the culture in Korea does promote one night stands pretty heavily...
I also enjoyed 'Coming Home to a Closet' by Kang Byung-Chu Dredge.
For the rice queen, an Asian man is simultaneously only a body and has no body. The passion for the Asian man is a passion for his body, as a vessel during sexual intercourse and as an artifact of an exotic, foreing culture that can be bought. He is a body rather than a personality. The Asian man, however, is also idealized as a small, meek, passive toy without physical, and, in some cases, economic strength. This is especially true for Asian men who are newly-arrived, limited English speakers who are likely to have smaller frames.
I'll admit that when I grew up in the states I had this image of Asian men as meek and passive. Now, I realize the obvious; people are pretty much the same everywhere. And man do the guys here have physical strength (and economic strength to boot). While I jokingly refer to myself as The Kimchi Queen, I obviously eat things other than cabbage. Is it bad, though, that my eyes tend to hover over Asians? Or is it just because there are so many eligible guys here to choose from that I just skim over the non-Koreans?
The entire issue of The Queer Issue is available online. It is a bit grainy, unfortunately, but if you zoom in a bit you can get through it.
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