Welcome
to Chingusai ("Between Friends"), the only gay
men's rights organization in Korea. A successor of Chodong-hoe,
the first homosexual activist group ever to be organized
in the country (1993), Chingusai has served as a shelter
for Korean gay men, who up to then were without an official
or public voice of their own, and as an arena for struggle
against all prejudice and oppression directed at homosexuals.
Like many other East Asian societies, Korea is
highly conservative, (hetero)sexist, and family-centered
due to the enduring influence of Confucian patriarchy. Consequently,
gay men and lesbians who come out to their families, friends,
or colleagues often face ostracism,
unnecessary "medical treatments," unwanted marriage,
or unemployment. Nor is there any legal or institutional
measure to protect homosexuals, except for the National
Human Rights Commission Act, which was legislated in 2001
(Section 4, Article 30, Clause 2, "discriminatory acts
for [an individual's]¡¦sexual orientation").
Nonetheless,
the mid-1990's saw the emergence of an open and vocal gay
rights activist movement much like its counterpart in the
West. Since then, the Korean gay community has grown in
size, diversity, and visibility. The community consists
of several offline organizations including not only gay
rights' activist groups such as Chingusai itself but also
informal gatherings as well as innumerable online groups.
As for bars and other establishments that cater exclusively
to gay men, they are spread nationwide, with Seoul as the
center (some 70 and 30 in Jongro and Itaewon, respectively).
Although public
awareness of the sheer existence of homosexuals and other
sexual minorities has increased in the last several years,
social acceptance remains a distant goal, as the case of
a television actor who was dismissed from all programs immediately
after his public coming out in
2000 shows.
Chingusai
pledges to maintain its vigilance in order to serve as a
safe haven for homosexuals and to secure their legitimate
rights.
