[Side B] "Revealing Myself Is the Start of Solving Problems" Non-Surgical Transgender Im Pureun

A Proud Minority, A Better Non-Mainstream World
With a History of Childhood Cancer, Living as a Woman Without Surgery

After Trying on Women's Clothes by Chance
Wears Men's Clothes at Work, Women's Clothes When Hanging Out with Friends
Coming Out Fully in Late 20s

The Only LGBTQ Activist in Chungnam
Awareness Needed as LGBTQ Visibility Increases
"A Society Where the Minority Is Happy Is a Society Where Everyone Is Happy"

Mr. Im Pureun met at a cafe in Yongsan-gu. Originally, he wore an Indian pink coat, but for the photo shoot, he specially wore a dark forsythia-colored jacket with a "Justice Party" badge. (Photo by Lee Hyun-joo)

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] "I have neither undergone surgery nor received hormone injections. I simply accept myself as I am."

Im Pureun (37), a transgender woman who did not undergo gender confirmation surgery due to concerns about her health after battling childhood cancer, came out in her late twenties. Although she experienced confusion about her identity, she did not know how to define herself. To be more specific about Im’s gender, she identifies as 'non-binary.' She has a gender identity that does not fit into the male-female binary but leans closer to female.

"My hometown is famous for hot springs, but I disliked going to bathhouses. I really hated going to the men's bathhouse. I just didn’t want to show my body to others. At school, we learn about secondary sexual characteristics. Boys develop broader shoulders and grow facial hair. Girls develop wider hips and breasts, but what I experienced was different from what school taught. I was male, but I had some breast development and a relatively larger butt."

Although she always felt different from others, she lived as a male until she graduated from college and started her first job.

"I wasn’t very social and was just a quiet student. I guess I didn’t want to be found out. At work, I wore men's clothes. But as I worked, I gradually began to face discrimination. I tried to live according to the male image in my own way, but I guess it showed. My supervisor, who didn’t like me, started picking on me over trivial things and kept harassing me. Eventually, I quit my job and told my family."

Im’s coming out was thanks to a casual suggestion from her girlfriend. After graduating from college, her girlfriend asked if she would try wearing women's clothes.

"It suited me so well (laughs)! At that moment, I questioned whether the distinction between male and female really existed, and I didn’t feel much resistance. So, while working, I wore men's clothes, but when hanging out with friends who understood me, I wore women's clothes."

Im Pureun participating in the Anti-Discrimination Act campaign (Photo by Im Pureun)

Deciding to live as a woman brought a big change to Im’s life. The quiet and introverted person she was formed a group and did not hesitate to stand in front of people.

"I was the only LGBTQ activist in Chungnam, and I worked with the mindset that I was the face of sexual minorities in Chungnam. I received a lot of recognition from those around me, which was very satisfying."

Having quit her job, Im began actively participating in transgender community activities. From communities that existed since the PC communication era, to 'Jireongi,' which was formed when former National Assembly member Roh Hoe-chan proposed a special law on gender correction, to the transgender queer group 'Traveler,' she consistently played a role in communities that had somewhat self-help group characteristics. Later, she formed a human rights education activist group in Chungnam and also established the Coalition for the Enactment of the Anti-Discrimination Act, continuing her activism to this day. She went to watch movies with activists for human rights education and raised her voice against the repeal of the Chungnam human rights ordinance.

Cancellation of Transgender Student Admission at Sookmyung Women's University "Regrettable"
Regrets Not Having Experienced Sexual Minority Issues Nearby
Just Didn’t Come Out, So People Didn’t Know
Human Rights Education Must Stop Equating Homosexuality with Badness
Sanna Marin, Finnish Prime Minister, Grew Up in a Same-Sex Family

Regarding the recent cancellation of admission of a transgender female student at Sookmyung Women’s University, Im expressed regret. She said, "If sufficient human rights education had been provided during adolescence, (some Sookmyung students) might not have opposed it so strongly." She added, "Also, if a debate had been held with one panel from the sexual minority side and one from the opposition side to discuss the issue, it might have been better than now." Nevertheless, she said, "Since people have not experienced or encountered sexual minorities around them, we cannot simply label that group as 'discriminatory people' or 'haters.'"

The reason we rarely see sexual minorities around us is that they are 'in the closet.' This is due to a social atmosphere that makes coming out difficult. She said, "Statistically, it’s impossible that there are none, but because they have not come out, even if they are around, people wouldn’t know." She also argued that human rights education classes that teach homosexuality as inherently harmful to students should be stopped. She cited Sanna Marin, Finland’s youngest-ever national leader at age 34, as an example, emphasizing, "She grew up in a family with two mothers after her mother divorced and married a woman, but there was no problem at all."

Regarding the commonly mentioned 'social consensus' as a prerequisite before enacting sexual minority-related laws, she said that sexual minorities, including herself, must first come out. She explained, "Once visibility increases, more people will feel the need to solve this issue, and through that awareness, legislative activities can also find a basis."

Im Pureun attending the Rainbow Action workshop (Photo by Im Pureun)

Im continues to challenge herself. This time, she ran in the preliminary election for the proportional representation candidate of the Justice Party. The result was not very important to her. Im said, "Sergeant Byeon Hee-soo and the transgender female student at Sookmyung Women’s University courageously spoke up, and I thought there should be at least one sexual minority candidate in politics to speak out." She added, "I wanted to talk as much as possible about legislative issues related to minorities, such as the Anti-Discrimination Act, the Partnership Act, and gender correction."

As she stated in her candidacy statement, Im said, "A society where all minorities can be happy is a society where everyone can be happy."

"Anyone can suddenly be dismissed, become a non-regular worker, have an accident, or migrate abroad and become an immigrant. Most of us have minority status without even realizing it. Therefore, we must stop discrimination against minorities and create laws and systems so that everyone can live with dignity."

She said that when she was young, she could not imagine life beyond her 30s, and even now in her 30s, she cannot easily imagine life beyond 50. However, Im said, "I hope to play a stepping stone role in creating a world where no one is discriminated against," adding, "'Identity politics' is so important to me because I am deeply passionate about it."