Thousands of people are to march through Seoul to support gay rights in today’s Pride parade, with probably just as many conservative Christians urging them to “repent” their “sins.”
Religious South Koreans have been a loud fixture at the annual parade for years, holding a rival anti-homosexuality rally while trying to physically block the march.
Their presence is the most visible display of intolerance toward sexual minorities in the tradition-bound society, where religious belief is widespread, and many homosexuals stay in the closet due to fear of discrimination and social isolation.
Photo: AFP
Homosexuality is not illegal in South Korea, but lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights remain politically unpopular.
Even left-leaning South Korean President Moon Jae-in — a former human rights lawyer — said he “opposed homosexuality” during an election campaign debate in April.
His conservative opponent and eventual runner-up said homosexuals should be “punished severely for living against divine rules.”
However, gay rights activists say that some progress has been made, with surveys showing increasing tolerance, particularly among young people, and participation at Pride surging since the first parade in 2000, when only 50 attended, but the event’s growing profile has unnerved South Korea’s conservative Protestant church groups, which have millions of followers, enormous political lobbying power and see homosexuality as a psychological illness to be “healed.”
Every year, they petition authorities not to allow public venues to be used for the event and stage a boisterous prayer rally at which they sing hymns through giant loudspeakers intended to drown out the sound of the parade.
Some wave banners accusing homosexuals of pedophilia and bestiality, and of turning the capital, Seoul, into “Sodom and Gomorrah,” while others scream insults.
“We do not want them to showcase homosexuality in public, which can corrupt the minds of our children,” Homosexuality Countermeasure Council for Korean Churches secretary-general Hong Ho-soo said.
Hong accused gay people of spreading sexual diseases such as AIDS and a “decadent sex culture against the teachings of the Bible,” and urged homosexuals not to fete their orientation publicly.
“It’s OK to celebrate whatever you are at home or privately. Just don’t do it in front of others,” Hong said, describing his campaign as “a non-negotiable crusade against a religious sin.”
Police estimated each side’s turnout last year at a little more than 10,000 and they routinely erect metal fences around the parade start point to prevent clashes.
Hong said he opposed violence against those taking part in the parade and insisted his campaign “does not constitute hate speech.”
Pride representatives disagreed.
“They say: ‘Hide yourself. Live in the shadows, because who you are is so harmful and something to be so ashamed of,’” Korea Queer Culture Festival head organizer Kang Myoung-jin said.
“If this is not hate speech, what would be?” he asked, adding past parades had been marred by physical and verbal attacks by people bearing crosses or loudly reciting prayers.
Some throw plastic bottles, food, water and even traffic cones at participants while screaming curses, Kang said, or lie in the street to block parade floats.
Gay rights remain limited in many Asian nations, although the Council of Grand Justices on May 24 ruled that Taiwan’s Civil Code, which says an agreement to marry can only be made between a man and a woman, “violated” constitutional guarantees of freedom of marriage and equality.
However, participation in Pride is broadening, organizers say.
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea, a state rights watchdog, and the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism — the nation’s biggest Buddhist sect — are taking part this year for the first time.
“Our sect has long maintained close ties with sexual minority groups and wanted to take part as a show of solidarity,” Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism official Kim Han-nah said. “We support a world without any form of discrimination.”
Additional reporting by staff writer
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