Queer Throughlines: Spaces of Queer Activism in South Korea and the Korean Diaspora

by Ju Hui Judy Han

Queer Throughlines draws on years of direct participation, interviews, and ethnography to examine transnational Korean LGBTQ+ activism since the 1990s. Han maps the sites and routes of leftist and queer political movements, highlighting challenges posed by Christian conservatives in both South Korea and the United States. The book uses the concept of “throughlines” to weave together a web of movement stories across time and a coalition of Los Angeles–based LGBTQ+ activists and allies fighting an anti-gay petition campaign led by Korean immigrant churches; queer activists involved in anti-war protests in Seoul; progressive clergy embracing inclusivity and risking heresy charges and excommunication; and queer and trans activists refusing to be sidelined from visions of political change underway. These moments do not always line up in a straightforward narrative of victory or progress, yet they create powerful lines of solidarity, community, and kinship.

230 pages, Hardcover

Published October 1, 2025

Reviews

[Kendra Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish this book had contained a section on sexual and gender minorities in premodern Korea, as there is a dearth of that, but it was still an interesting read.