Brighton and Hove has always been known for its eccentric and eclectic nature. As a city we have welcomed people of such a huge myriad of nationalities, ethnicities, sexualities, and genders. Our reputation exceeds us; people all over the country recognise us as the “gay capital” and visit to have a carefree, exciting time in a relaxed and accepting environment. 

 

Some may call us embarrassingly hedonistic and extravagant in our overzealous embrace of all identities. However to me – and I’m sure many other residents — it is my pride and joy. To think that I have grown up exposed to such a welcoming, diverse environment makes me simultaneously grateful and blue that I will, at some point, have to leave.

 

However, recently I have begun to question this. How accepting are we, really? I’ve grown up in such a diverse community but to what extent is that because of my open-minded parents and easy access to the digital social world rather than my city itself? I decided to interview long-term resident of Hove Kim Moon Jung (Moon), a South Korean immigrant, to get further insight to what immigrant life in Brighton and Hove is really like.

 

Moon, being part of a diasporic community, has a very distinct ethnic identity. She feels she is almost stuck in a limbo between England and Korea, and feels only a “half-hearted” connection to either nation. Whilst her “antennae are always trying to catch any news from South Korea”, she feels distant and quite unaffected by its happenings. In England, although she is deeply affected by events, she does not have voting rights due to her South Korean nationality not allowing her to attain dual citizenship. Therefore she “plays no part in the decision making process” of the country and this frustrates her. 

 

This sense of frustration is why it is so crucial to be part of a welcoming and open community, on a local scale if not national.

 

Moon claims that although she “generally doesn’t experience racism on a day to day basis per se”, her inability to vote and “lack of shared history makes her feel quite isolated and alienated”. Although certain cultural trends were shared globally during her youth, many of her current age group’s nostalgic chats and trips down memory lane exclude her as she has come from such a hugely different cultural background.

 

Despite this, “Brighton is definitely far more accommodating, similar to London and maybe Bristol. People accept different ideas more easily when talking about politics and other matters, compared to for example in smaller countryside areas where you feel like people look at you a bit more”. In Brighton, as opposed to other towns and rural areas of England, Moon does not feel people perceive her to be distinctly “not British”. Of course, she says, there is an acknowledgement of her original birthplace yet there is apparently much less of an ‘us and them’ mentality and generally feels a level of acceptance locally.

 

It appears that the largest obstacle to Moon feeling fully accepted by the UK is her inability to vote, which is on a national scale. The occasional feelings of isolation are almost inevitable given the uniqueness of her diasporic ethnic and national identity. Even so, Brighton and Hove seems to (largely) live up to its reputation as Moon has managed to build a wonderful life within a wonderful neighbourhood here - credit to her, and thank you to the community for welcoming and embracing diversity in a country that perhaps is not always so hospitable.