While I'm pretty sure this isn't what gay bars are really like, the headline made me think of this silly video.
(made by the people who made one of my favorite music videos ever: this one, which is hilarious in EXACTLY my sense of humor.
Discovering Korea has published a list of the 12 best gay bars in Jongno... research for which sounds like a heck of an interesting night.
I'm mostly interested in this because it's a huge departure from the "No gays in Korea" line that I heard regularly during my first few years in Korea. Now, I live well in the city, so maybe I'm in an area where people are a little more blasé about gay culture -- the annual pride parade is less than an hour's walk from my house -- but it should also be noted that many at that parade still wear "Please do not publish my photo" ribbons, though they do show up... so we're farther out of the closet than we used to be, but not all the way yet. (In comments under previous posts about LGTB culture, I've also been told farther out of the big cities, the "no gays in Korea" thing still happens)
It'd be cool to see Korean gay culture being a little more open and unashamed... on the other hand, I cringe to imagine the day when Korean Promotions inc. realizes there's some kind of cachet to be gained from promoting Korea's gay culture, and suddenly the promotional material starts telling everyone about Korea's proud and ancient gay culture, which is better than teh ghey culture of other countries in the region. (which, now that I've mentioned it, you can totally imagine happening, can't you?) Which would be sad not because of the attempt to make acceptance of various gender identities the norm (that'd be awesome) but because of how obvious the cultural promotion-y people can be when grasping at angles to make Korea seem like a cool and advanced place, truth and actual experience of gays in Korea be damned.
(made by the people who made one of my favorite music videos ever: this one, which is hilarious in EXACTLY my sense of humor.
Discovering Korea has published a list of the 12 best gay bars in Jongno... research for which sounds like a heck of an interesting night.
I'm mostly interested in this because it's a huge departure from the "No gays in Korea" line that I heard regularly during my first few years in Korea. Now, I live well in the city, so maybe I'm in an area where people are a little more blasé about gay culture -- the annual pride parade is less than an hour's walk from my house -- but it should also be noted that many at that parade still wear "Please do not publish my photo" ribbons, though they do show up... so we're farther out of the closet than we used to be, but not all the way yet. (In comments under previous posts about LGTB culture, I've also been told farther out of the big cities, the "no gays in Korea" thing still happens)
It'd be cool to see Korean gay culture being a little more open and unashamed... on the other hand, I cringe to imagine the day when Korean Promotions inc. realizes there's some kind of cachet to be gained from promoting Korea's gay culture, and suddenly the promotional material starts telling everyone about Korea's proud and ancient gay culture, which is better than teh ghey culture of other countries in the region. (which, now that I've mentioned it, you can totally imagine happening, can't you?) Which would be sad not because of the attempt to make acceptance of various gender identities the norm (that'd be awesome) but because of how obvious the cultural promotion-y people can be when grasping at angles to make Korea seem like a cool and advanced place, truth and actual experience of gays in Korea be damned.
8 comments:
A few months back their was a Queer Pride festival in downtown Daegu (a very conservative city in both senses of the word):
http://wetcasements.wordpress.com/2012/12/11/changing-times/
I was pleasantly shocked.
Personally what I like about asian culture is the conservatism. I want to escape from the sexual marketing in everything we have and go back to when it was a simple world. I guess I should just build a time machine and go back to 1950 kk
There's no way to comment on the original piece, but the author ought to have mentioned that these bars are exclusively for gay men, Women, even queer women, are generally not welcome. Just a note.
very, very good point.
Yes, that golden age when no gay people existed.
This sounds like a BOKT Skit!
Check out my budget travel blog soon :)
Wow, I guess Korea's making slow progress, which is better than none.
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