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Vox_Populi
Joined: 04 May 2009
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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 Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2011 3:25 am Post subject: |
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| Saskatoongirl wrote: |
| Captain Corea wrote: |
| northway wrote: |
| I live in Sanbon and there's nothing resembling a gay bar around here. Many Koreans will claim that there are no gay Koreans. |
You know, I'm really starting to wonder about that. I hear that SO often on this site, but can't recall a Korean actually saying that to me. |
No Koreans ever said that to me, and I think its such a good thing. If theres one thing good about south Korea its its innocence and purity. |
Surely you don't mean to suggest that just because someone is gay, that makes them "impure" in some way ??? |
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highstreet
Joined: 13 Nov 2010
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| Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2011 4:16 am Post subject: |
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I think only the older generations say there are no gay people in Korea.
My Korean friends (20-30s) all say there are a ton of gay people in Korea. |
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MollyBloom
Joined: 21 Jul 2006
Location: James Joyce's pants
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| Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2011 9:02 pm Post subject: |
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| I hung out with Hong Seok Cheon and his boyfriend a month ago (met him through a mutual friend). You can't believe the number of gay celebrities that are forced by their management to keep their sexuality mum. With the trend of gender-bending and gay characters in dramas/movies, however, it has helped the movement. But I agree with the above poster: older Koreans say they don't exist here, but younger Koreans have no problem with it. My good friend (Korean girl in her middle 20's) just came out to me last month and said she was bisexual. No big deal. |
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DejaVu
Joined: 27 Jan 2011
Location: Your dreams
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| Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2011 10:47 pm Post subject: |
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| MollyBloom wrote: |
| I hung out with Hong Seok Cheon and his boyfriend a month ago (met him through a mutual friend). You can't believe the number of gay celebrities that are forced by their management to keep their sexuality mum. With the trend of gender-bending and gay characters in dramas/movies, however, it has helped the movement. But I agree with the above poster: older Koreans say they don't exist here, but younger Koreans have no problem with it. My good friend (Korean girl in her middle 20's) just came out to me last month and said she was bisexual. No big deal. |
Unfortunately, for "younger", only the 20s seem to match this mark of it being "no big deal"...
all of my middle school children use "gay" to insult each other, often. True, this happens in most countries, but people always say "young Koreans" when they mean people in their 20s- just a heads up. |
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nena
Joined: 19 Nov 2009
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| Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2011 10:57 pm Post subject: |
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| Ribena wrote: |
| What if you are gay and female? I'm planning on coming to Korea to teach, I'm hoping to go to Busan. I'm well prepared not to date while I am here, of course. But I am a little curious to learn what things are like for gay people in the rest of the world. |
There's a big lesbian scene in Korea. I lived (and am soon returning to) the Seoul area, so, I only know that area. There's a good amount of lesbian and lesbian-friendly bars and clubs in Seoul. I know there's stuff in Busan, too, but I've never been..
You can see the english-speaking lesbian group for korea on facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/groups/2384665341/
(There is a subset of this group based exclusively in Busan but I don't have links handy)
Also, a link with a lot of resources and bar locations and whatnot:
http://www.utopia-asia.com/womkor.htm
Anyway, it can be daunting at first, especially when you don't have lesbian friends to confide in, but, you'll find a circle of friends soon enough. Good luck!! |
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MollyBloom
Joined: 21 Jul 2006
Location: James Joyce's pants
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| Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2011 9:15 pm Post subject: |
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| DejaVu wrote: |
| MollyBloom wrote: |
| I hung out with Hong Seok Cheon and his boyfriend a month ago (met him through a mutual friend). You can't believe the number of gay celebrities that are forced by their management to keep their sexuality mum. With the trend of gender-bending and gay characters in dramas/movies, however, it has helped the movement. But I agree with the above poster: older Koreans say they don't exist here, but younger Koreans have no problem with it. My good friend (Korean girl in her middle 20's) just came out to me last month and said she was bisexual. No big deal. |
Unfortunately, for "younger", only the 20s seem to match this mark of it being "no big deal"...
all of my middle school children use "gay" to insult each other, often. True, this happens in most countries, but people always say "young Koreans" when they mean people in their 20s- just a heads up. |
The Koreans I am close with (ages 25-45) all have a nonchalant attitude towards the gay movement. Sure, 45 is certainly not "young," however, it's a lot younger than my close friend/Joyce mentor who is 80 years old! In 2006, I worked with an openly gay Korean man at a hagwon. No one treated him badly to his face, however, I don't know if there was whispering when his back was turned. That was at work; I can't say I know what happened to him in public.
While I'm not disagreeing that there is still a stigma associated with the movement here, I do have to say that it is becoming more of a thing that people talk about, rather than deny "there are no gay people in Korea." Again, I know there are certainly some people that still believe the latter.
Last week some of my middle school girls were talking about gay celebrities, and when someone's name came up that was unsuspecting, their response was something like, "oh too bad! he's hot" and "I love him anyways teacher" and nothing pejorative was said, such as name-calling or other slang words. Maybe my middle schoolers are just more open and mature about the topic than most adults. |
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Ribena
Joined: 07 Apr 2011
Location: UK
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| Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 12:16 am Post subject: |
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| nena wrote: |
| Ribena wrote: |
| What if you are gay and female? I'm planning on coming to Korea to teach, I'm hoping to go to Busan. I'm well prepared not to date while I am here, of course. But I am a little curious to learn what things are like for gay people in the rest of the world. |
There's a big lesbian scene in Korea. I lived (and am soon returning to) the Seoul area, so, I only know that area. There's a good amount of lesbian and lesbian-friendly bars and clubs in Seoul. I know there's stuff in Busan, too, but I've never been..
You can see the english-speaking lesbian group for korea on facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/groups/2384665341/
(There is a subset of this group based exclusively in Busan but I don't have links handy)
Also, a link with a lot of resources and bar locations and whatnot:
http://www.utopia-asia.com/womkor.htm
Anyway, it can be daunting at first, especially when you don't have lesbian friends to confide in, but, you'll find a circle of friends soon enough. Good luck!! |
That's interesting. I'm not really interested in hanging out in any scene type places because well I'm not really a bar person and isn't it really a bit dangerous to be seen hanging out in such establishements less your school find out by some means(not that you would tell them). |
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jinks
Joined: 27 Oct 2004
Location: Formerly: Lower North Island
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| Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 12:35 am Post subject: |
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| Ribena wrote: |
| ...isn't it really a bit dangerous to be seen hanging out in such establishements less your school find out by some means(not that you would tell them). |
My friend bumped into one of her students in a gay bar in Seoul! |
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Ribena
Joined: 07 Apr 2011
Location: UK
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| Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 1:47 am Post subject: |
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| jinks wrote: |
| Ribena wrote: |
| ...isn't it really a bit dangerous to be seen hanging out in such establishements less your school find out by some means(not that you would tell them). |
My friend bumped into one of her students in a gay bar in Seoul! |
That has happened to friends of mine in the UK, seems like it would be a nightmare in a country where you aren't protected by the law for being fired if are gay. |
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kimdeal54
Joined: 28 Feb 2008
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| Posted: Fri Aug 05, 2011 10:10 pm Post subject: |
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| Well, think about it... if someone who sees you in a gay bar is going to rat you out for being there, they have to admit that they were there too. |
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Ribena
Joined: 07 Apr 2011
Location: UK
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| Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 3:36 am Post subject: |
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| kimdeal54 wrote: |
| Well, think about it... if someone who sees you in a gay bar is going to rat you out for being there, they have to admit that they were there too. |
Maybe they don't mind admitting they are gay word gets around to people whole aren't so happy about it. Or they anonymously inform someone. Maybe I am paranoid, I've had teacher friends who have been spotted and its come up in the classroom. In the UK, its not so much of a problem apart from maybe the kids giving you a hard time about it.
I just hope people are aware that as a teacher you have more a public profile and reputation to keep up, the kids and parents could form opinions about you when they see you out and about. That is why alot of teachers don't like to live too near to where they work. |
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kimdeal54
Joined: 28 Feb 2008
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| Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 4:43 am Post subject: |
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| Ribena wrote: |
| kimdeal54 wrote: |
| Well, think about it... if someone who sees you in a gay bar is going to rat you out for being there, they have to admit that they were there too. |
Maybe they don't mind admitting they are gay. |
This is extremely unlikely in Korea.
As for the anonymous tip-off comment, I think that does sound a little paranoid.
If you bump into a Korean student or co-worker on the scene here, trust me when I say that they'd be far more worried about you telling somebody else. Are you gay? Cause if you are, you'll be aware of a certain code that exists about outing someone. Case in point, I've seen several celebrities (both here in Korea and in my home country) in gay bars, and that news usually doesn't travel outside the gay scene. People tend to keep their mouths shut about it. It sounds like your friends in the UK just had some very bad luck.
edit: Sorry, I missed your previous post in this thread where you said that you're gay.  Hey, if you need info about the scene in Korea, just send me a PM. |
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Ribena
Joined: 07 Apr 2011
Location: UK
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| Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2011 1:12 am Post subject: |
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| kimdeal54 wrote: |
| Ribena wrote: |
| kimdeal54 wrote: |
| Well, think about it... if someone who sees you in a gay bar is going to rat you out for being there, they have to admit that they were there too. |
Maybe they don't mind admitting they are gay. |
This is extremely unlikely in Korea.
As for the anonymous tip-off comment, I think that does sound a little paranoid.
If you bump into a Korean student or co-worker on the scene here, trust me when I say that they'd be far more worried about you telling somebody else. Are you gay? Cause if you are, you'll be aware of a certain code that exists about outing someone. Case in point, I've seen several celebrities (both here in Korea and in my home country) in gay bars, and that news usually doesn't travel outside the gay scene. People tend to keep their mouths shut about it. It sounds like your friends in the UK just had some very bad luck.
edit: Sorry, I missed your previous post in this thread where you said that you're gay. Hey, if you need info about the scene in Korea, just send me a PM. |
Well I wouldn't presume that the same rules applied elsewhere as they do here. Although can't say I've spotted any famous closet cases on the scene. I'm actually not a big scene person, not really into clubs/bars etc.
No he just meet teenage kids who are brats and want think they are smart arses to make jokes. That's British teenagers for you. |
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politica
Joined: 12 Dec 2006
Location: Suwon-si
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| Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2011 12:41 am Post subject: |
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@Ribena
There are loads of lesbians in Seoul, myself included. There's a solid foreigner group called Sappho. Attending one of their events is a good way to meet people, although admittedly the foreigner lesbian circle in Seoul can get a little incestuous . . .
If you speak/read Korean, you can have a look at www.tgnet.co.kr, which is where all the Korean lesbians are. Also, I've found that at a lot of the lesbian clubs, you can meet Korean girls who speak pretty good English and are curious about seeing a foreign girl.
Right now there are 4 main lesbian bars/clubs in Hongdae (basically the nightlife mecca of Seoul):
Pink Hole (I know, the name)- a short walk from Hapjeong station, good dance floor, packed and sweaty on the weekend
Labrys- younger crowd (mostly college students), decent dance floor but you have to buy food if you want to sit down, near the park above Uniqlo
MaNyeo- Also near the park just around the corner from Labrys, lounge-y feel
The Owl Bus- Across the street from the park on the same side at the university gate, lounge-y feel, lesbian-owned but not exclusive, good place for wine |
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Ribena
Joined: 07 Apr 2011
Location: UK
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| Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2011 5:34 am Post subject: |
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Thats for the info, its really interesting. I'm more thinking about making friends there who aren't all 100% straight than doing any dating.
| politica wrote: |
@Ribena
There are loads of lesbians in Seoul, myself included. There's a solid foreigner group called Sappho. Attending one of their events is a good way to meet people, although admittedly the foreigner lesbian circle in Seoul can get a little incestuous . . . |
Well that happens everywhere.
| Quote: |
If you speak/read Korean, you can have a look at www.tgnet.co.kr, which is where all the Korean lesbians are. Also, I've found that at a lot of the lesbian clubs, you can meet Korean girls who speak pretty good English and are curious about seeing a foreign girl. |
I'd feel like one of those pervy Western guys with a fetish if I did that.
| Quote: |
Right now there are 4 main lesbian bars/clubs in Hongdae (basically the nightlife mecca of Seoul):
Pink Hole (I know, the name)- a short walk from Hapjeong station, good dance floor, packed and sweaty on the weekend
Labrys- younger crowd (mostly college students), decent dance floor but you have to buy food if you want to sit down, near the park above Uniqlo
MaNyeo- Also near the park just around the corner from Labrys, lounge-y feel
The Owl Bus- Across the street from the park on the same side at the university gate, lounge-y feel, lesbian-owned but not exclusive, good place for wine |
Haha, you are right "Pink Hole" is about the worst name ever. Was that named by a Korean or an English speaking person, I would like to know what made them think that was an appealing name. |
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