User:Aheuer/sandbox

Nastassja Bate-Bild, Jamie Lee & Alivia Heuer

WGS 310

11/18/18

Proposed edits:
Although Korean culture has had a rough history with the LGBTQ community and LGBTQ people still do not have full rights in South Korea (see LGBT rights in South Korea), Korean dramas have made a recent effort to include more LGBT characters in their storylines. This inclusion of LGBT characters into K-drama storylines has caused controversy surrounding these shows as homosexuality is still stigmatized in South Korea (cite https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1724806/first-lesbian-kiss-korean-tv-drama-sparks-debate?fbclid=IwAR1225lhOsSNasyvxQK2udhAH0orhaTK_IWsSfErDoQekzTxdoPDhdSGiAU ). Shows such as Seonam High School Girl Investigators (Link this wiki page), which depicted the first ever lesbian kiss in Korean TV history, received attention from the Korea Communications Standards Commission when complaints we filed in reference to a scene where two high school girl characters shared a kiss (cite south china morning post).

Other shows to follow suit in depicting same-sex relationships include Kill Me Heal Me, Reply 1997, Long Time No See and LIfe is Beautiful which all depict romantic interactions between men. Although progress has been made with the representation of homosexual relationships in K-Drama, transgender representation is still lacking. “In 2012, KBS Joy, an entertainment subsidiary of the national KBS TV, pulled the plug on a newly launched talk show aimed at the transgender community after just one broadcast triggered an outcry from conservative groups.” ( https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1724806/first-lesbian-kiss-korean-tv-drama-sparks-debate ) The only notable representation of transgender characters in Korean Drama was in the frist episode of the series It’s Okay That’s Love (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It's_Okay%2C_That's_Love). Actress Lee El (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_El) portrays Sera a patient who comes in for psychological treatment after being severely beaten for being transgender by her family. ( https://www.kdramastars.com/articles/30351/20140725/its-okay-its-love-lee-elles-surprise-appearance.htm?fbclid=IwAR3HdvOYKWNbXr4xo7g-SVRvbh_BQJ_8xy4i9dcvcnMkEnZwT-4_WaXiX40 ) Instead of including openly gay or transgender characters in many k-dramas, characters will engaged in a plot device known as gender-swapping ( http://kultscene.com/k-dramas-continue-to-explore-lgbt-themes-with-coy-devices/?fbclid=IwAR3rv8icqG3Vpvi0VuQBgaVq7gEdC21jR6A6Wh2WxAzLD6Uqnaf2OVyJx6k ).

Gender-swapping is a theme in K-dramas that delve into LGBT aspects without obviously representing openly queer characters. Coffee Prince (see Coffee Prince wiki) is a K-drama depicting a woman, Go Eun-chan, who disguises as a man in order to work at Choi Han-kyul’s coffee shop. Han-kyul falls in love with Eun-chan and questions his sexuality, in the end, accepting his feelings for Eun-chan regardless of gender. However, Eun-chan reveals herself to be a woman, and the question of falling in love with the same-sex is then resolved. (cite kultscene) You’re Beautiful (see You’re Beautiful wiki) is another K-drama in which a woman disguises as a man. Go Mi-nyeo must pretend to be one of the band member’s twin brother in order to maintain his position in A.N.JELL. Every member in the group falls for her, although one of them, Jeremy, is not aware she is a woman and believes he has fallen for a man. (cite kultscene)

Though k-drama shows are beginning to represent the LGBT community of Korea, it is still rare to find a show with an out character (kultscene).