KoreAm Journal:
The Queer Issue

August 1993

Articles include:

1. ‣On Being Queer and Korean American
   

2. It’s often a lonely road we walk, being Korean and living in America. Putting together this months’ issue, we at KoreAm were forced to consider life without family or the sense of community we sometimes take for granted.
   

3. ‣Silent Han Elephants
   James Jaehwan Lee
   

4. I have to realize that this tool called silence, called discretion, called privacy and rugged independence, is a double-edged sword that can slash me and hinder growth as easily as it can cut through problems.
   

5. ‣In a Perfect Family
   Anonymous
   

6. I decided to come out because I did not feel comfortable hiding an integral part of myself. How could I deny my girlfriend? How could I talk about my activities without mentioning parties which consisted of mainly Asian American Lesbians and Bisexuals?
   

7. ‣A Dyke Realization: An Awkward Transition and a Mother Who Listened
   Tae Soo Chung
   

8. I like the word ‘Queer’ and ‘Dyke.’ A political generation now, is much shorter than a physical generation. Queer, used amongst ourselves, can be empowering.
   

9. ‣Behind Gay Bars in Korea
   C.H. Young
   

10. But the most regrettable thing for Gays here is that we don’t have any guide for living as a Gay person in Korea. As far as I know, there is no visible Gay movement or Gay group in the country.
    

11. ‣Gay, Aware and Alone (Almost): A Korean American Man on Role Models and Sexual Fetishes
    Charles Choe
    

12. When one person reduces another person to a sexual object, that person takes away the other’s humanity. If such degradation happens to people of color, then it’s racism.

1. ‣Coming Home to a Closet
   Kang Byung-Chu Dredge
   

2. I retreat to the closet in order to be accepted by my Korean peers. Being a Korean American, the acceptance of other Koreans is of greater importance for me than the acceptance of “mainstream” Americans.
   

3. ‣Christian Love: Homosexuality and the Church
   Tom Choi
   

4. ‣Korean American Blind Spot
   John H. Lee
   

5. After I came out, my mother wanted me to see a doctor – a ‘lower parts doctor,’ – who had to be Chinese so no other Koreans would find out. … My mother still hopes I will forget about being Bisexual, and get married.
   

6. ‣Straight Talk: If You’re Best Friend Said, “I’m Queer”