GL Drama Lovers Club

 Ryn:

began being made in the 1970's,

This isn’t me dragging the conversation it’s simply an observation. What you’re describing reflects how things developed in parts of the West, particularly within American historical and cultural frameworks. Other cultures exist outside of Western thought and reference points.

In East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Polynesia, there have long been distinct terms and social understandings for different identities. When English loanwords and Western frameworks entered these regions, they often displaced or obscured preexisting, independent queer sociocultural systems.

My point is simply that Western queer historical narratives don’t universally apply, and developments in the West are not necessarily representative of queer histories elsewhere.

 KoreanLatina:

In East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Polynesia, there have long been distinct terms and social understandings for different identities. When English loanwords and Western frameworks entered these regions, they often displaced or obscured preexisting, independent queer sociocultural systems.

Am broadly aware, but also very curious as to your experience with Korean terms for sapphic identities, because I always like learning more. What word were the women on ToGetHer called in Korean? What are some older displaced Korean words for sapphic relationships? Were they words for personal identities or words for relationship types, or actions?

 Ryn:

Am broadly aware, but also very curious as to your experience with Korean terms for sapphic identities, because I always like learning more. What word were the women on ToGetHer called in Korean? What are some older displaced Korean words for sapphic relationships? Were they words for personal identities or words for relationship types, or actions?

My peer group broadly categorized the series as a wlw/queer women’s show; however, it is worth noting that none of us completed it due to its lack of narrative coherence. More importantly, premodern East Asian contexts contained established terminologies for 레즈비언 (lesbian) archetypes that predate Western frameworks. For example, bajissi referred to a more masculine-presenting identity, while chimassi more closely corresponds to what contemporary discourse might describe as a feminine-presenting lesbian. Historical sources indicate that some women who resisted compulsory marriage entered court service as palace ladies, where they maintained intimate relationships with other women. These relationships often persisted until they were discovered and sanctioned by palace authorities. While such relationships are often retrospectively read as evidence of lesbian identity, some scholars instead frame them through ban-dae-jil (반대질) a practice shaped by palace structures marked by a single king and an excess of women, rather than by universal same-sex orientation among court women. Same-sex acts were nevertheless harshly punished: palace maids were stripped of status, while concubines were demoted to commoners. The case of Lady Bong, a concubine under Lady Sunbin, exemplifies this. Although frequently cited as punishment for homosexuality, her demotion under King Sejong is more accurately interpreted as punishment for sexual violence. Her relationship with the palace maid Sosang reflects coercion enabled by hierarchical power, akin to same-sex assault in military contexts, particularly given accounts that Sosang had an existing consensual relationship with Danji and was forcibly separated and coerced. Prior to japan colonizing my people in the 1930s, lesbianism was reportedly common among female students at girls’ schools, where partners were referred to as S-sister or S-younger brother. Given strict social controls on heterosexual dating and the risks of pregnancy, many students viewed same-sex intimacy as a comparatively safer alternative but also very natural and preferred. By the 1970s, Myeongdong had become a recognized gathering site for lesbians, who commonly identified as bajissi characterized by short hair and masculine dress or chimassi, associated with long hair and skirts. Bajissi often commissioned custom menswear from the tailor shop Giant, while social life centered on venues such as the women-only Teahouse most of these spaces eventually closed.

 KoreanLatina:

Korean Sapphic here

Your written English is excellent, better than many native English speakers. Have you spent time in an English speaking country, or are you just a diligent student?

Also, I'd be interested in hearing a Korean perspective on the movie "The Handmaiden". From what I understand, Korean society is still very conservative. How was the movie viewed by society at large considering its subject matter and sexual content? Are younger people in Korea quickly becoming less conservative and perhaps more "Westernised" than their parents?

 Ryn:

In Thai a somewhat equivalent word for butch is 'tom'

In the drama "Blank", Chet (Aneung's father) called Yui (Anueng's friend and briefly girlfriend) a "Tom". Yui, a butch lesbian, corrected Chet saying, "I'm not a Tom, I'm a Queer".

I understood this to mean that Chet thought that Yui was simply a Tomboy, rather than a lesbian, but Yui wanted him to know that she was actually a lesbian. Otherwise why would Yui correct him? But then I'm not sure why Chet was bothered by Yui hanging around his daughter if he only thought Yui was a Tomboy. I suspect there are some cultural nuances I'm completely missing.

 Ryn:

older displaced words for gender diversity

There are, but the history of Korea is complex, and different kingdoms and regions would vary greatly.

 MarkWasHere:

Your written English is excellent, better than many native English speakers. Have you spent time in an English speaking country, or are you just a diligent student?

Also, I'd be interested in hearing a Korean perspective on the movie "The Handmaiden". From what I understand, Korean society is still very conservative. How was the movie viewed by society at large considering its subject matter and sexual content? Are younger people in Korea quickly becoming less conservative and perhaps more "Westernised" than their parents?

I think that's a really unique topic because the reality is most Koreans who you would identify as Baby Boomers are westernized in the sense that they follow American conservatism due to America's time in Korea during the war so it creates this false sense of security related to America specifically White America. For many women of my generation in South Korea, it is now possible to live openly as a lesbian, reflecting meaningful generational and social shifts. However, this visibility exists within a society that remains strongly patriarchal and misogynistic, where structural barriers limit women’s safety and access to justice, particularly in cases of sexual violence. Despite these constraints, lesbian communities mostly in seoul have persisted and evolved across decades. My engagement with elder lesbians in the capital provided intergenerational insight into queer life from the 1970s through the 1990s, demonstrating both continuity in conservatism and resilience in community-building.  Pride events and increased queer visibility signal progress, yet lesbian women remain uniquely vulnerable due to intersecting gender- and sexuality-based marginalization. This coexistence of risk, resistance, and cultural pride characterizes the current landscape of Korean lesbian life.