• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.62 no.6
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• pp.1-18
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• 2012

This study explores the clothing behavior of homosexual men for identity creation. Since homosexuality has been viewed in terms of immoral, medical or social problems, gay males have made efforts to construct presentational styles in order to hide or reveal their sexual identities. Kate Schofield and Ruth A. Schmidt found that there were three different layers of individual gay identity construction expressed in clothing: shared gay identity, tribal identity, and situational identity. Using their framework, 630 gay men's outfits found in the U.S drama 'Queer as folk' were analyzed, which dealt with the lives of a group of gay men living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Findings point that gay males use their clothing effectively to express their sexual identity. Firstly, they use certain fashion items as the signifier of homosexuality on a gay community level. They use their clothing to attract the sexual partners. On tribal identity level, diverse and fragmented styles could be shown besides the effeminate style. Homosexual men's clothing can be classified into the following four dominate styles: the drag look, the macho look, the androgynous look and conventional look. Findings also indicate that gay males make different clothing choices for different situations in order to blend into the heterosexual or homosexual society.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.23-46
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• 2017

This article examines the sexualization of place under conditions of the compressed modernization and reflexive cosmopolitanism. In particular, I adopt Michel de Certeau's spatial didactic model of strategy and tactic to investigate the dynamics at play in the gay labelling of a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (Coffee Bean) in South Korea, and explore the 'gaying' that takes place within preconceived heteronormative space. Using interview data, I additionally explore the negotiation tactics and coping mechanisms at work when gays compete with heterosexuals for non-gay place. The results illustrate how gays gay in heteronormative space and how heteronormative space harmoniously embodies gay men. The findings suggest that spatial location and tactic play important roles in stimulating compromise of sexual territory. Gay Bean benefits from being nestled between locations with histories of tolerance, while it also prospers from reflexive cosmopolitan ideals of diversity and acceptance of others. Gay identity and gaying is interpreted as foreign in Korea, which buttresses gay performativity in spaces welcoming of foreigners and so-called "deviance." However, how gaying functions within place relies not only on spatial histories of tolerance outside, but also on the tactics of identity negotiation within. The findings suggest that spatial and tactical conditions induce gay individuals to police other gay-identified individuals when gays gay in so-called heteronormative places.

• Journal of English Language & Literature
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.259-292
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• 2009

When AIDS evolved into a narrative, there were lots of mythologies on AIDS. Among them, the one that AIDS is a gay plague was accepted without any special rejection. Now AIDS is no longer a gay-related disease. At the beginning of the epidemic, however, AIDS was said to be a gay plague and gays were blamed for their life styles. Although AIDS was new, it had been in the mind of people. That is, the truths about AIDS were distorted and misunderstood. The social aspects of AIDS were based not on real scientific facts but on the prejudice and the practices which heterosexual society had invented for homosexuals. Here the AIDS crisis is said to be politicized. The socio-political responses to AIDS were effected by the dominance of Reaganism. So this paper investigates the effects of AIDS on the gay community and the reactions of the Reagan administration through analyzing ten American AIDS plays. Four issues are discussed to develop the paper's main idea: the meaning of AIDS, the past to be remembered, the new family system, and the indifference of President Reagan and the silence of media. AIDS means death; the relation between homosexuality and AIDS cannot be separated. Under these social circumstances AIDS becomes a symbol for moral corruption and the person with AIDS is thought to be punished. But a gay person can overcome the fear of death through regaining promiscuous sex and confirming his identity as a gay. Also to survive in the heterosexual society a gay has to make a new family system. Finally the indifference of the Reagan administration and the virtual silence of the media make the crisis more serious. In the conclusion homosexuals are compared to the Jewish people and the responsibility of gay community is also discussed. The important thing is that facing the AIDS crisis, the gay community has spiritually grown up.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.133-161
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• 2022

The purpose of this study was to translate and validate the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Identity Scale(LGBIS), which is a scale measuring the multidimensional identities of sexual minorities. For this, we conducted an exploratory factor analysis using a sample of 201 LGBs(homosexuals and bisexuals). Identical to the original scale, eight factors were extracted from the translated scale(i.e., concealment motivation, identity uncertainty, internalized homonegativity, difficult process, acceptance concerns, identity superiority, identity centrality, and identity affirmation), but one item was removed. In addition, the reliability coefficients of the eight factors except for concealment Motivation were satisfactory. The Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the 8-factor model had a good fit to the data. Finally, to verify the criterion validity, correlation among each eight factor and the scales measuring the identity related scale and the psychological-functioning scale were analyzed. In conclusion, the Korean version of the LGBIS consists of 8 factors and 26 items in total. Also it was found to be a valid measure for LGBS in Korea as well.

• Journal of East-West Nursing Research
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.195-204
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• 2021

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences and problems of sexual and reproductive health among Korean lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, and intersex (LGBTQI) people. Methods: Phenomenological methodology was employed in this study, which comprised 14 LGBTQ participants. Data were collected using individual in-depth interviews from May to June, 2021, and were analyzed using Colaizzi's method. Results: Four categories-comprising nine theme clusters-emerged from the data, as follows: 1) hard-to-recognize gender identity, 2) blind spots in the healthcare system, 3) empathy and support in the community, and 4) new challenges to protect my precious self. Conclusion: This study provides valuable and detailed insights into the meaning of sex and reproductive health among Korean LGBTQI people. This finding could be utilized to develop effective questions for understanding not only sexual and reproductive health but also overall health problems of LGBTQI people.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.241-272
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• 2022

This purpose of this study was to use the meta-summary method to systematically integrate the findings of the heterogeneous qualitative research on the factors influencing the sexual identity formation process of lesbian, gay, and bisexual groups in Korea. The integrative investigation of the universal or unique factors affecting the identity formation of sexual minority is important to understand their internal experiences and support their psychological adaptation. Using a qualitative meta-summary, this study systematically identified and abbriviated the psychological and social factors that promote or impede the sexual identity acceptance and integration of LGB individuals. First, a total of 9 studies which were published in Korea up to 2021 were identified through the research database. The included studies were critically evaluated by using the Critical Appraisal Screening Programme tool. A total of 179 statements were extracted from the findings of each study and 34 abstracted statements were generated. The 34 abstracted statements were categorized into four groups, psychological factors that promote or impede sexual identity formation and social factors that promote or impede it. These four main categories and corresponding factors in each category were explained. The implications and limitations were also discussed.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.38
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• pp.1-28
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• 2015

The work appeared a featured female character in the Disney animation film begins with 'Snow White' released in 1937. After then, the 11 female characters appeared included 'Tangled' in 2010. Female characters reveal their identity due to obedient, family-oriented and marriage with prince and then gradually develop to heroine who leads to man, and is independent, pioneering, and sometimes saves the nation. Nevertheless, the ending of the Disney animation was still not escape the institutional, traditional discourse. Female characters are followed to meet the featured actor kissing and marriage, or was to show the virtues of sacrifice for the actor. However, Elsa in 'Frozen' is the character with an independent identity compared with the patriarchy, male chauvinism and heterosexual dichotomous discourse given so far in Disney. In this study, it is to explain the change of gender identity in the character of Elsa through Queer theory that deconstructs the distinction between sex and gender, and is constituted by the actions typed and performed the gender concept, and is dismantling the dichotomy itself such as male/female, heterosexual/homosexual. The performative of Queer make the boundaries between lesbian-gay, sexuality and heterosexual ambiguous. It can be said that the performative has political nature resisted to the dominant discourse through these parodiable strategy. The performative showed of Elsa is in the boundaries between the sisterhood and the heterosexual. When analyzed in a heterosexual perspective Elsa's identity is to be understood as simply just love the intimacy of a sister and a sister. On the other hand, if you focused on the relationship between women and the relationship between Elsa and Anna is recognized as the point of view of homosexuality. Because if you look at the concept of lesbian continuum, the homosexual love in the female characters of Disney seems like a bond between women, easier than heterosexual love can be hidden sexual desires. Elsa has developed into a performative identity through the expression of performative and the inhibitory of queer identity. And then the her sorcery that was initially contraindicated and the presence of a fear became to the 'lesbian phallus'. The sorcery that can be seen the signifying phallus against to the privileges of heterosexual patriarchy is recognized in the world of Arendal. Elsa is a new women featuring Disney characters. as this character is analysised by Queer theory, this study seeks to expand the area of the various character analysis methods.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.54 no.7
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• pp.135-150
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• 2004

The purpose of this research was intended to investigate drag queens' and drag kings' gender identity not only as a comic and desexualized drag borrowing external characteristics of the opposite sex but also as the subject visualizing and performing' the third sex'. It also aimed to examine formative aesthetic characteristics and aesthetical value of drag queen's and drag king's fashion and to confirm the functions of drag queen's and drag kins's fashion to establish, visualize and Perform the discordant sex. For this process, research steps were as follows : 1. Understanding drag, drag queen and drag king in social, psychological context as well as in gender context. 2. Finding visualized forms which drag performance interchange with mass media 3. Analyzing similarities and differences between drag queen's fashion and drag king's fashion. 4. Examining the aesthetical characteristics and the value of drag queen's and drag king's fashion. The results of characteristics of drag queen's fashion could be categorized into stereotype, mimicry, kitch, inconsistency and commercialism. And the characteristics of drag king's fashion could be divided into reality, self-consciousness, mimicry, inconsistency, subversion and multiplicity. Drag queens create plausible impressions of feminity through the use of wigs, dresses, jewelry, makeup, hormones and through &role Playing&. Similarly drag kings produce a plausible masculinity taking gay male aesthetic using suits, crotch stuffers, facial hair, and greased hair. Male and female impersonation produce very different notions of gender performance for male and female embodiment. Drag kings' performance of masculinity demands authentic property of bodies so rather nonperformative, while drag queens' performance of femininity depends on more visible and theatrical fashion.