Wearing bright
bow ties and dark dress, a group of South Korean women belt out
song after song about the joy and stigma of being gay - part of
a growing clamour for LGBTQI+ rights in Asia.
"Unnie Choir" sang about their struggles at a sold-out
concert in the socially conservative nation, where homosexuality
remains taboo despite rapid economic advances in recent decades.
It is part of an expanding network of LGBTQI+ choirs across
Asia, which use song to fight discrimination in a region where
progress on gay and transgender rights is slow.
"Through singing, we're saying homosexuality exists. We just
want to be ourselves," said Chung Ui-jung, the music director
and conductor of the 15-strong choir.
"Singing has the power to change," she told the Thomson
Reuters Foundation backstage after the concert, attended by some
70 people in a cosy venue in the capital Seoul.
Homosexuality is not illegal in South Korea, which in 2003
ended its classification as "harmful and obscene". There is
growing public acceptance of LGBTQI+ relations and annual gay
pride rallies attract thousands.
Yet discrimination remains widespread and gay people suffer
hate crimes, according to campaigners. Conservative lawmakers
are also pushing to end protections for sexual minority groups.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in, a Catholic widely seen
as a liberal, has come under fire for refusing to legalise gay
marriage although he also said discrimination against LGBTQI+
people is not acceptable.
Unnie Choir, founded in 2012, hopes its unconventional
method of campaigning can help turn the tide.
Unnie - named after the Korean word for "sister" – meets
weekly to sing songs, their own compositions among them.
It holds an annual concert, performs at human rights events,
and has been described as the "K-pop for queer" – derived from
the term used to describe wildly popular Korean pop music.
Their repertoire ranges from ballads to acapella, hymns to
pop songs, sometimes mocking prejudices against gay people.
But they also take on other social issues: cyber bullying
and feminism, or why South Korean women prefer to stay single.
"It's my first time to see their performance but they are
fun and engaging," said Seo Hee-jeong, a 31-year-old straight
woman who said she was drawn to the social-justice messages.
The choirs are seen as taking a gentler stance than many
activists on LGBTQI+ rights, an issue that can ignite hostility in
Asia among conservative political or religious groups.
Hence their growing appeal.
There are more than 30 such groups in Asia - in places as
diverse as China, India, Japan and Taiwan - according to Proud
Voices Asia, an umbrella group for LGBT+ choirs.
LGBTQI+ rights are mixed across Asia.
India decriminalised gay sex in 2018 and Taiwan last year
became the first place in the region to allow same-sex marriage.
But similar drives for gay marriage in China and Japan faced
stiff opposition, with social conservatism holding sway.
In South Korea, gay sex between soldiers is a crime under
military rules that can result in a two-year prison term -
although homosexual acts are not criminalised for civilians.
G-Voice, South Korea's first gay choir, said the groups help
LGBTQI+ people forge a sense of unity, especially in places where
open social interactions are difficult.
G-Voice began in 2003 so gay men could share their
coming-out stories and support each other through song.
"Coming out is a big decision for many gay men, we collect
their stories and turn them into songs. It becomes easier when
we're together," said its music director Jun Jae-woo.
Like elsewhere in Asia, the pressure to marry the opposite
sex and continue the family blood line is strong in the east
Asian nation, prompting many to hide their sexual orientation.
South Korea also has one of the world's top suicide rates
and Jun said he has lost gay friends to suicide, calling for
legal reforms to protect LGBTQI+ people from discrimination.
The 49-year-old expects anti-LGBTQI+ sentiment to surge in the
run-up to what promises to be a tight legislative election in
April, and predicted no major progress on LGBTQI+ rights.
"We have the conservative forces who are influential,
homophobic voices will continue to be loud," said Jun, a doctor
who came out in his teens.
Chung from Unnie Choir struck a more optimistic note.
She believed growth in LGBTQI+ choirs showed wider acceptance,
and was confident her group could one day become as popular as
other world-famous K-pop icons.
But in a sign of slow progress, Chung - a magazine editor
who knew she was attracted to women from a young age – is still
not prepared to come out to her parents.
"It is something that is hurtful to them. Maybe one day I
will come out to my parents, but I haven't found the courage
yet," said the 30-year-old.