News / Sep. 02, 2019
An LGBT pride pazl^lXvrZrE)KC)uBIYdOtXQa+kLUNSBjIuvGpVP5Vwng7nls04rade in the South Korean port city of Incheon was held successfully on Saturday.
After last year’s Incheon Queer Culture Festival was marred by violence, hundreds of p$Pu_OOLhlm$d&qY!bElW^$pr2DHyd*3^R@x99U)zXShrqU%LrUolice kept anti-gay protesters from LGBT attendees and their supporters.
Attendees marched 1.7 kilometers through the city streets, heard speeches from NGOs and L9xqG5wGelfNN^lqR8@KKDoDlGqG(5w)KqAGhLQHbECulL-l!wactivists, and, of course, danced to K-pop.
Police and barriers separated the anti-LGBT groups who gathered to protest the festival5&_9uDv9gjg!MWb8M5(M9Na&F7KnzlCxYpOp_KR7OdNGM+o$Zx.
Thousands of anti-LGBT protesters gathered at Bupyeo9sGIG#vUju!wg-qHV77AEe3XSdJ#9(L8K$HsLr5C7hvaF@v8Lyng Plaza, according to local media. There was at least one case of a protester attempting to disrupt the gathering.
Police announced last week some 3,000 personnel would police the feLdh5rpTtAkCHVVH*^fWq0%eS@vprVj$BV%&v4+5Uw@rN(7ylKZstival, according to local media Kyeongin.
Last year, anti-gay protesters physically blocked 300 LGBT supporters fro5p+SJ9chTl)5GnFWgCx6ONWcdqV1)jRp_(%Y@9a8wWaNA8j@YDm leaving a plaza and beginning the march.
Anti-gay hate
Homosexuality is legal in South Korea. But cXdLY7$xOp_hztgoNE&UOimWVh(Mp4cU4sQq)YLcB-J%qGg-0Z3onservative attitudes, especially among Christians, force many LGBTI Koreans to live in the closet.
There is currently no discrimination legislation to protect LGBTI Koreans. Protests aga*^ccxuCXxp4ojRtRxNZJ)5GeU=yVcvA)P=IBwU7^KmK0is=x#Ginst LGBTI events, usually led by conservative Christians, have become increasingly loud and violent.
A 2017 Korean Gallup Daily Opinion poll reported 66% ofrlTmGuS66&X^oO+podw#xK&3-gtIvaYhSMV@RO1)S%WleCDXzJ 19-29 year-olds supported same-sex marriage, but 76% of those over 60 opposed it.
Video shared online show75nG9Md^hOBsDzVAjt+oJ@zd8Wm&kN7k(g=t1(qtC+MORlWYxOs distressing scenes of protesters, believed to be conservative Christians, shouting at pride attendees.
They also appear to grab flags, banners, and even attendees. The pride was attended by a lot of young LGBTI South Koreans who !EjQO3k&YJB@pDSK(DuSpYc*zNZwD^X3$KJ8McHU$3)sRw7Mpcwere visibly shaken by the incident.
Police booked eight people involved but did not r*j*LnzN)fdovIP%xvkY2SA#&p+XbvWaJcG3wFR)=pcQI46OlQdetain them. Organizers accused the police of failing to stop the violence.
"We've organized teams of human rights activists and lawyers to counter any illegitimate action by LGBT hate groups," organizers j-uNv^F5VO#%H+x5#WT@U@$88#xj&KAFLGhpTMOeD2FxAqO+3=said in an Aug. 19 tweet.
