South Korea's defence ministry issued a statement this week addressing the issue of the treatment of gay soldiers in the army. "The military will treat homosexual soldiers the same as heterosexual ones," the ministry said in a written statement distributed to news gathering groups.The announcement comes after a series of unfair dismissal and bullying incidents have been reported in South Korean press, becoming the subject of much speculation and gossip.
The Seoul based news agency Yonhap requested an official policy statement from the South Korean army, effectively bringing the debate out into the open. Though the Ministry statement implies more grudging tolerance than outright and welcome acceptance, it has been hailed by the Korean gay community as a significant step in the right direction. South Korea's traditional patriarchal social values, clearly represented by the army are not noted for their liberalism or expansiveness. The statement will make particularly welcome reading to young men anxious about their compulsory military service - 24 to 28 months of it, depending on the military branch involved.
Korean Gender Roles Collapsing: Metrosexuality as they say in Korea!
When I first hit Korea a few years back, I was immediately struck by how 'camp' the average Korean young man was in terms of dress and overall appearance / manner.
Back in 2004, a survey revealed that for half of Korean men and women, fixed gender roles are collapsing, and both sexes are pursuing relatively "androgynous" lifestyles. Cheil Communications in its report entitled "2004 Quiet Revolution in Our Age's Men and Women," which was written after surveying 300 people (150 men, 150 women) between the ages of 17 and 39, 66.7 percent of men and 57.3 percent of women were categorized as "androgynous."
Respondents to the survey, which was composed of 15 check-style questions, were categorized based on their answers as "androgynous," "masculine," feminine," and "indeterminate."
The results revealed that men have developed feminine delicacy and have taken a greater interest in fashion, actively taking care of their physical appearances. Women, on the other hand, now possess leadership and have grown more self- conscious. Cheil Communications labeled men who desire the strong points of the opposite sex "Mr. Beauty," while labeling women who do the same, "Ms. Strong."
Cheil Communications team leader Park Jae-hang said, "The survey revealed that many Korean men and women desire the strong points of not only their own sex, but those of the opposite sex as well... It appears the changes in male and female sexual roles are not a temporary fad, but will continue into the future."
The following are the changes in sexual roles revealed by the survey, sorted by age and profession:
"Mr. Beauty"
Male university students between the ages of 19 and 24: This group forms the prototypical "Mr. Beauty." Men, too, acknowledge that it's now a time to be competitive about appearance, and purchase many forms of male-use cosmetics and bright clothing. This group views sexual economic equality as natural, and considers it old fashioned for men to pay for entire dates. Unmarried working men between the ages of 25 and 34: This group isn't as concerned about "looking good" as the university students, but do worry about their appearances in order to raise their own value. They desire male-female relations where both sides help one another rather than assigning gender roles to one side only.
Married working men between the ages of 28-39: In particular, men in their 30s are working to drop the tough masculine image and become softer, more refined men. Both husbands and wives work and household duties are split. Some want to become "house husbands" or take "paternity leave," but they worry about what those around them might think.
"Ms. Strong"
Female university students between the ages of 19 and 24: Female university students who want to be sexy and strong form the mainstream. They are aggressive to the point that they will ask out men they like first and demand physical contact, while at the same time refusing special treatment just because they are women.
Unmarried working women between the ages of 24 and 34: This is a generation of women working to become career women recognized for their skills. In order to present a look of femininity and toughness, they thoroughly take care of themselves, and possess feminine delicacy and male tenacity and impulsiveness simultaneously. They look at marriage as a matter of choice.
Married working women between the ages of 28 and 39: This group takes care of themselves and thoroughly manages their time in order to be faithful to both work and family. Sometimes they are envious of their friends who are housewives only, but they take pride in their work and feel a sense of accomplishment.
The Pics are all of Howard Donald as he's the sexiest! After almost 10 years away from the charts, Take That have come back with Never Forget - The Ultimate Collection straight in at No 2! Take That, Britain's original and biggest boyband's tour will kick off on Monday April 24 in Newcastle, with 11 dates in Birmingham, Glasgow, Sheffield, London's Wembley Arena, Dublin and finally Belfast on Sunday, May 14.
The group is of course without it's leading funny man Robbie Williams who quit several months before the band's original demise all those years ago. Take That began their original rise to fame playing to gay audiences in the north of England and were managed by the infamous Nigel Martin Smith who now owns 'Essential' nightclub and 'Queer' bar in Manchester's gay village. Smith had a well documented court battle with Robbie Williams over contractual matters in the late 90's.
These guys were certainly popular with boys and girls alike - good luck on the comeback!
I challenge anybody to find a more homoerotic sport than this! I have no idea how they score this match but the last two manoevres score pretty high in my book......... Check out the website!
Alexei Nemov, Russian Gymnast, apparently calls himself 'sexy Alexei' and I tend to agree! By the way, if you look far left of the last shot and it's really none of my business but do you think the two shifty looking dudes in purple are or were about to hold hands?
Did you know he was actually English? I'm off for a pint of the 'black stuff' to celebrate in about 30 minutes! Well, actually a few bottles of 'Draught Guiness' which is somewhat of an oxymoron in itself. They're also about the most expensive bottled beer to be had in Korea weighing in at a mighty 6000 Won (about $6 USD).
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