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Queering the Norm: Marching Beyond Pride scrap download

퀴어, 규범 바깥으로의 퍼레이드: '프라이드'를 넘어

For the queer community, June is a month of celebration, commonly referred to as “Pride Month.” During this time, sexual minorities embrace their distinct identities and assert their “right to live true to themselves,” hosting lively celebrations worldwide. Rainbow flags flutter joyfully, and participants parade through the streets in outfits that best express their “genuine selves.” In a world where different gender identities or sexual preferences are often regarded as secrets, scandals, or issues belonging only to the domain of “private life,” openly displaying one’s true self in public space carries profound significance.


However, the jubilance of the festivities does not last forever. In real life, sexual minorities face a complex and ambiguous mix of emotions, including pride and shame, pleasure and anger, as well as fear and anxiety. The methods they adopt to exist as “citizens,” or members of society, are also varied. Sometimes, they conform to the norms of mainstream society by hiding their non-normative sexual identities, while at other times, they resist being categorized as “minorities” by society and propose new ways of understanding and acceptance.


Contemporary Korean queer literature vividly captures the diverse experiences of queer (non)citizens living in the “here and now.” It meticulously explores the complex relationships among sexual, class, generational, racial, linguistic, and geographical factors that influence “living true to oneself.” As a result, Korean queer literature becomes a compelling space for political and aesthetic experimentation, where diverse strategies to challenge rigid societal norms fiercely compete.


Today's ceremony by Jo Woori, Wisdomhouse, 2023


This is the latest work of Jo Woori, known for her keen exploration of the nuanced and intricate relationships among women. Set in present-day South Korea in 2023, the novel unfolds in a society where same-sex marriage remains unrecognized by law. As a form of protest, same-sex couples frequently submit marriage registration forms to local government offices, fully aware that they will not be processed. However, a significant turn of events occurs when Sunmi and Gayeong, two lesbian civil servants tasked with managing marriage registrations, clandestinely approve the marriage registration of an elderly lesbian couple who have shared their lives for decades, issuing them a marriage certificate. The work stands out for its lively imagination, actively envisioning a future where same-sex couples are legally recognized as families.


Ghost Duet by Kim Hyeon, hanibook, 2023


This is the first collection of short stories by Kim Hyeon, who has previously published poetry collections such as Glory Hole and Good Times. The stories are set against the backdrop of numerous deaths and losses that occurred in Korea after the 2010s, resulting from events including traumatic social disasters, rampant gentrification, and sluggish minority policies. In a world marked by pervasive hatred, discrimination, poverty, and isolation, the characters in Kim’s work often grapple with loneliness. Yet, they do not hesitate to indulge in drinking, joking, and causing a commotion. This reflects Kim’s distinctive approach to mourning and advocating for those perpetually marginalized in society.


We're (Not) Just a Punchiline by Lee Eunyong, rightseason, 2023


This is the sole compilation of plays by FTM transgender playwright Lee Eunyong, who passed away in February 2021. Lee’s characters effortlessly blur the rigid boundaries between male and female, heterosexual and homosexual, adult and minor, love and hate, and morally good and bad, turning them into open doors for free passage. The lives depicted in Lee’s plays, including those of transgender individuals, youth, and those with mental illness, might initially appear devastating, akin to an accident, or cruel, resembling a twisted joke. However, they ingeniously reshape a world that deems them “abnormal” into a poignant source of humor. The titular play, We Are (No) Jokes, was first staged in 2020 and won the Baeksang Arts Award for Best Play in 2021.


The Things We Say While Waiting by Kim Byungwoon, Minumsa Publishing Group, 2022


Kim Byungwoon’s debut novel, The Things We Say While Waiting, is densely packed with traces of his intense engagement with contemporary queer discourse. Kim boldly delves into and fearlessly intervenes in the most contentious topics of today, such as queer representation and agency, the dichotomy between exemplary and unruly queerness, as well as the hierarchy and visibility economy among queers. Kim’s work does not overlook the fact that both cisgender, heterosexual norms and the normative discourses surrounding homosexuality often dictate one’s actual life and desires. Ultimately, they intersect with the novelist’s self-reflection on what it means to “represent queerness.”


We, in the Same Place by Park Seonwoo, jamobook, 2020


In this compilation of stories, there are no “stereotypically gay” characters. Instead, the author focuses on individuals whose minds waver and hesitate as they struggle to come to terms with their sexual identity or to reveal it to others. The novel doesn’t hastily assign emotions like hesitation, disillusionment, and inadequacy exclusively to “closeted gays” or “denial gays.” Instead, it astutely captures how these ambivalent and tentative emotions contribute to their queerness. Amidst the flow of contemporary queer literature celebrating proud queer identities, these aspects are what set Park Seonwoo’s novel apart.


Written by Oh Hyejin


A literary critic devoted to analyzing and historicizing the gender politics within narrative, symbolism, and discourse. She authored the cultural critique collection Utterly Literary Tastes and contributed as an author to works such as From Room 19, The Birth of the Researcher, Fantasy Without Origin, Literature Breaking Literature, Time in the Reservoir: Reading Yeom Sangseop, and History Has Failed Us, but No Matter.


Translated by Kim Soyoung


Soyoung is a translator specializing in literature and film. After a decade of corporate life in public relations, she now immerses in translating works that resonate with her.

Her recent translations include stage plays Sunlight Shower and This is Home by Jang Woojae, and she is currently translating a novel for young adults.

Soyoung majored in English interpretation and translation at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and studied business administration at the Graduate School of International Studies at Yonsei University. She completed a two-year government-funded literary translation course at the Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea).

Soyoung won Grand Prize in the film category of the Media Translation Contest organized by LTI Korea in 2021.

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