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South Korea is on the verge of a rude awakening that homophobia can cost lives as gay people on dating apps are now receiving threats of being doxed. First, let me explain what’s been happening here. We were doing a great job keeping the daily cases to single-digit levels. (1/9)
That was until a new cluster of coronavirus cases emerged this weekend. Where? At a nightclub in Itaewon, a nightlife district in Seoul. It’s dampened the mood of the country that largely felt like it was on the winning side in a fight against the virus. (2/9)
So where does sexuality come into play, you might ask. Turns out, it was a gay club. And it was the club itself, one of the few LGBT venues in the city, that first came forward on social media that one of their customers had tested positive. (3/9)
This news put the gay scene on the map for the wider public largely oblivious to it and has sent shockwaves through a nation where there is very little LGBT visibility and you can count on your fingers celebrities who are out and proud. (4/9)
The story was then picked up by multiple media outlets who framed it as a ‘gay club story’ and shaped the narrative that people’s sexuality need to be known. Other media outlets have pushed back on this & health authorities have advised agaisnt privacy invasion. (5/9)
Gay bathhouses have also made headlines after it was learned that two clubgoers who’ve tested positive had visited one. To say the least, this weekend has been a PR disaster for the gay community in Korea. And many people are understandably frustrated at the clubgoers. (6/9)
But the frustration is now turning into a palpable hatred. I know at least two gay men who took down their photos from dating apps in fear of being outed have received ominous messages like “you took your pictures down” and “you’ll see soon” from blank profiles. (7/9)
Unlike other club-related cases, many want to not just criticize the clubgoers but lump the whole community together. The witch hunt remains online for now, but it’s slowly starting to resemble the homophobia during the AIDS crisis in the ‘60s in the US. (8/9)
In a nod to the growing animosity agaisnt the gay community, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said during a Sunday briefing that it’s not helpful to single out a certain community in terms of disease prevention. END. (9/9)
