have been practicing TaeKwonDo for three years, mostly for the physical and spiritual benefits. I am enrolled to be a competitor in martial arts at the Gay Games in Chicago, July 15-22, 2006.

TaeKwonDo means Foot Fist Way or The Way of the Foot and Fist.

It is a traditional Korean martial art which emphasizes discipline, respect, and personal growth. It is famed for its powerful kicks.
And, as a spiritual practice, it offers the field for the engagement of all parts of the human being: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.

 
 


 

The Korean flag symbolizes much of the thought and philosophy of the Orient. The symbol, and sometimes the flag itself, is called T'ae Kuk.
Depicted on the flag is a circle divided equally and locked in perfect balance. The red section represents the Yang (plus) and the blue section the Um (minus), an ancient symbol of the universe which originated in China. These two opposites express the dualism of the cosmos: fire and water, day and night, dark and light, construction and destruction, masculine and feminine, active and passive, heat and cold, plus and minus, and so on.
 
The central thought in the T'ae Kuk indicates that while there is a constant movement within the sphere of infinity, there are also balance and harmony.
Three bars at each corner also carry the ideas of opposition and balance. The three unbroken bars stand for heaven; the opposite three broken bars represent the earth; the two bars with a broken bar in-between symbolize fire; the opposite is the symbol of water.
 

 

 

Links
 
The Gay Games
The Triangle Martial Arts Association
San Francisco
The International Association of Gay and Lesbian Martial Artists
Atomic TKD
San Francisco