Trans Talk: Korea's first transgender supermodel

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Korea's first transgender supermodel

3 comments:

Rachel said...: I responded to this post when it was crossposted on Facebook, and at De Sube's request, I want to leave some feedback as well, since I was based in Seoul for a very good chunk of 2008.

There is no doubt that LGBTs have found a lot more acceptance in South Korea than even a few years ago. That's a great news. The Korean society suffered under centuries of intolerant Confucianism, so as long as LGBTs are not being disowned and murdered outright, it's an improvement. It helps that many South Koreans have been educated in more tolerant Western nations, and many more enjoy strong links to the rest of the world via their world-leading Internet connectivity.

I must, however, remark that the paper this article is quoted from, the Korea Herald, is the English edition of the Chosun Ilbo. Chosun Ilbo is widely accepted as the mouthpiece of South Korea's far-right elements, the very elements that have been in power since 2007 (and ran a Reagan-sponsored fascist dictatorship before 1987 as well). The far right strongly believes in Confucian traditions, which also happens to include unconditional, total submission to a more enlightened foreign power; for the Korean far right, such foreign powers are the far-right ultranationalists of Japan, and more importantly, the Christian Right of the United States.

Combine this Confucian reverence for Christianity with the fact that South Korean Christianity was introduced from the US Bible Belt to start with, not to mention Confucius' own intolerance toward women and LGBTs, and the Christianity, as practiced by South Korea's far right, is disaster. President Lee Myung-bak, himself a devout Presbyterian, has clearly stated that homosexuality is an abnormal perversion to be cracked down at any cost. He is trying to decrease the role of the nation's nonpartisan, independent Human Rights Commission, which had issued many nonbinding recommendations in favor of expanding LGBT rights. Lee also ensured that South Korean government funds were used in rampant US politicking via its US front, the Unification Church; some of the politicking included starting false rumors about Barack Obama's national origin and religion, as well as ensuring the passage of California's Proposition 8. After all, you cannot let those flaming faggots of California corrupt the morally upright Korean-American youth, right?

My Internet connection was under attack in my last few weeks in Seoul, due to me spilling the beans about Lee and the South Korean far right to the world. Now, my stateside computers are being attacked as well, undoubtedly by Lee's hackers. I am also not liking the fact that I am now based in Los Angeles, home to the largest Korean community in the Western world; the Korean-Americans are representative of South Korea's Christian far right fringe, rather than the more enlightened everyday people, and of course they overwhelmingly supported Prop 8.

So there is no surprise to this transgender reality show contestant in South Korea. But it is regrettable that an article had to be quoted from the far-right mouthpiece.

Rach; July 29, 2009 at 12:12 PM
De Sube said...: Rach,

Thanks again,

In solidarity,

De; July 29, 2009 at 12:19 PM
Rachel said...: De,

Both my transgender themed blog, Perfect Girl, and my political/personal blog, Rachel's Random Ramblings, dealt heavily with these issues last year. Entries from September 2008 through December 2008 really deal with my experiences in South Korea, with a few days of Hong Kong and Chinese culture thrown in as well.

I've always called my blogs American in character, but they took on a heavy Korean accent over those months, and have yet to lose that even today. :)

Rach; July 29, 2009 at 12:33 PM

Comments and Responses

Ammo Girl commented on "Being Transgender Is Not A Mental Illness": I actually do have a Psych Degree...It is is in fact a mental illness/disorder... They need therapy and in some instances medications... I am sorry....Transgender (not gay, bi or lesbian)...TRANSGENDER IS a mental disorder.

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JoanieH121506 replied to Ammo Girl's comment on "Being Transgender Is Not A Mental Illness": It would seem that you are more of a Christian Fundamentalist than a psychologist as you are ignoring the 97% to 98% success rate that transitional medicine is accomplishing with defined standards of care, using known therapeutic agents and achieving expected results with one of the highest success rates known to modern medicine.

You are also ignoring several researches ...
...I am also wondering why you are ignoring the fact that the American Psychological Association considers repairative therapies to be far more harmful than beneficial?...
...I see in you more of the religious than I do of the educated, scientific-minded. JMHO

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Monica Roberts replied to Ammo Girl's comment on "Being Transgender Is Not A Mental Illness": being gay was once in the DSM as a 'mental illness' as well until it was taken out in the 1970's. It's just a matter of time before it happens for trans people as well

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Carolyn replied to Ammo Girl's comment on "Being Transgender Is Not A Mental Illness": It wasn't so very many years ago that being female was considered a mental disorder. Take a look at the root meaning of hysteria or read Freud trying to figure out women. While there are clearly real mental illnesses, there is also the terrible tendency to think that anyone who is different from "me" is nuts. Professionals who look for pathologies usually find them.

Dana LaRocca commented on "Maryland Transgender Folks: Here Comes The Annapol...": I don’t think that Delegate Pena-Melnyk or other sponsors of the bill intended leave us behind. They capitulated under Equality Maryland’s big lie that they represent the Mayland trans community.
The national organizations are running the show and the stage play is about marriage. . We don’t get straight answers because direction comes from HRC, Freedom to Marry, and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, not from the people at Equality Maryland. Internally they have agreed, or have been told by the board, not to discuss the level of national involvement. Without discussing that they can’t give an answer as to why this bill was downgraded.
Does Equality Maryland have a plan or a timetable for pursuing public accommodations protections? No.

JoanieH121506 has left a new comment on your post "Transgender Community Has No Room For Any Internal...":

Good article with some very succinct points. The hardest hit segment of the BT are those of color when it comes to the vast majority of discrimination. I have known those of African descent and many of Asian/Latino descent - and even some whites of older years - who seem to have hit brick walls at every turn when it comes to meeting their needs - and I am not talking about things like TV's, cars or iPODS. I'm speaking to the level of "where is my next meal coming from/" or "where am I going to sleep tonight?". It also does not make one feel too warm and fuzzy having to live in environments where there are constant threats of violence.

JoanieH121506 commented on "Transgender positive news from the US Department o...": This is mind boggling! Someone in the U.S. government showing some good sense? Good job!
...Now we need to work a bit more on access to those medical procedures that both the American Psychological Association and the American Medical Association, under Standards Of Care, currently maintained by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, consider to be medically necessary...

Stacie,
It is our pleasure and passion to do anything to help support anyone and any organization that provides services and support to the Hampton Roads, VA Transgender community as well as our siblings in the Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay and Hetero community.
Keep up the fine work you do. We support you!
De

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Stacie commented on "TLC - Hampton Roads, VA Transgender Clinic Reopens...": Thanks so much for supporting TLC Clinic. We are anxious for services to start again and we look forward to working with our new counselor, Mary Aab. Thanks for everyone's patience during these last couple months!
Stacie

Joanne, Thank you for sharing your opinions and your feelings. They are always valued.
The only way things will ever change is through positive dialog.
Again, Thanks for speaking your voice, my friend!

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JoanieH121506 commented on "Transgender Activist E.m. Equality Speaks The Trut...": Now if people in positions of power were to adopt this perspective, it might actually begin to have some positive effects. However, when leaders like Barney Frank start pandering to the conservative right by bringing up groundless matters, preying upon the fears of the "moral majority" and Christian rightists, this seems to make the entire matter seem moot - especially for the lesser demographics within the TG umbrella. If this is to work at all, it needs to be implemented at all levels - and most importantly from the top of the power pyramid down. Right now, I am in the position of believing the gist of what the article professes, yet at the same time, I have decades of experience that prevent me from feeling anything other than a feeling of discouragement in this area. After all actions and experience mean a lot more than words - especially when action ignores history and truth...

...To quote Joni Mitchell; "They won't give peace a chance. This was just a dream that some of us had."

Jamiegottagun commented on "Thailand's Distorted View Of Transgender People": Thai's probably aren't as accepting as they've been made out to be: check.
Few things in this world are as they have been made out to be.
However, you endanger your own credibility when you make such sweeping statements as you did in your introduction of this story, but provide only the opinion of one movie director, quoted in one story.
And to trash an entire philosophy, Buddhism, based on the actions of a few, is hardly fair, or can be taken as serious news reporting.
If you want to run, what tries to appear to be a transgender news service, then to be taken seriously, you might want to start learning about acceptable practices and ethics in journalism.

Estraven commented on "Is The Repeal Of "DADT" Important To Transgender A...": Thank you so much for being inclusive, and using the word bisexual, as DADT itself does. Just as trans people have been marginalized, so have bisexuals, and it is a little known fact that the language of DADT included bisexuals, and bisexuals were dismissed under DADT. As Cliff Arnesen, President of New England GLBT Vets, who was discharged in 1967 for being bisexual and has been fighting for inclusion of queers in the military ever since, says "You don't get half a discharge for being bisexual."
As there is a natural alliance between the bi and trans communities, we feel that the fight for queer rights will not be finished until EVERYONE has a place at the table.

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Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Korea's first transgender supermodel

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