Rotten queer

Even if god forbid they disbanded tomorrow, it won’t take away the impact they’ve already left. Xlov is so important for Korea like obviously the queer community as a whole but Korea needs this. To have idols wearing long nails and wigs while one dips the other on national television as ballroom music plays in the background….that country needs to see this.

Because to me, South Korea’s conservatism is worse to me than other East Asian countries, even more than China imo, and it is because queerness is rarely visible. Queer hangouts are underground and hidden, queer koreans usually don’t come out to people who aren’t also queer, and when it is visible on camera it’s framed as a joke or fanservice. Yes there’s been KBLs and gay reality shows produced over the past 5-6 years and that representation is very valuable but the average korean doesn’t watch it. That’s typically consumed by fujoshis or gay men, the latter who wouldn’t be making public noise about it to begin with. There are too many Koreans who deadass don’t think queer people exist or think it’s a western concept.

Let’s look at Japan right. Japan is a fairly conservative country in their own right I mean look at their current elected leader. But queerness even in explicit ways has been present in their largest-selling medias which are anime & manga going back to the 1960s-1970s. Now most of those portrayals were from straight women and/or were problematic stereotypes but they were SEEN. They were put on cable, they were shown in movie theatres. And over the years it’s been slowly polished and broadened. To the point where the highest-selling shonen animes and mangas in the world like JJK or Chainsaw man can have queer characters in them that are treated seriously. I know dealing with fictional characters is different than Korea’s kdrama or kpop that are actors and real people. But I still think queer education can be passed across in influential ways within both mediums. And that is reflected in how both countries treat their queer citizens. Now, I think queerness in Japan is mostly ignored. Same-sex marriage is not legal and adoption isn’t available for gay couples. I think it’s barely tolerated and still has a long way to go firstly by ousting their current prime minister. But it is visibly there, the government has acknowledged them for years, there are civil unions and same-sex partnerships in 70% of their prefectures. Meanwhile Korea still has a homosexual ban in their military and in October of last year they just acknowledged gay couples as real in their census.

Do you see what I’m saying? Japan is proof you can be a conservative country and still make important progress. Visibility is everything, censorship enables ignorance. Circling back to Xlov, they have done more of the queer community of Korea than I’d argue any kpop group has except maybe Girls Generation and Mamamoo. And this isn’t a shot at other idols, there are plenty of idols who’ve shown support for lgbt+ fans. There are idols that I personally think are queer who have expressed it in the ways they can. But xlov have more freedom than 92% of idols do and they’ve taken full advantage of that. Because it’s different to invite drag queens to your showcases. It’s different to tell fans you go by any pronouns. It’s different to use full voguing and ballroom in your choreography. It’s just different and I don’t need Xlov to be mainstream. A part of me doesn’t want that for several reasons; as long as they get their awards and recognition that’s enough.

XLOV 2ND MINI ALBUM [I,God]

CONCEPT PHOTO 3&4 - #WUMUTI & #RUI • #HYUN & HARU

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YES

XLOV 2ND MINI ALBUM [I,God] CONCEPT PHOTO 3&4 UNIT