Hundreds celebrate LGBT pride in Incheon

An LGBT pride parade in the South Korean pq@KeH309(aEli2xD^r!tpp*Sw8btzn!=)OZsk=_pplG_WIZWscort city of Incheon was held successfully on Saturday.

After last year’s Incheon Queer Culture Festival was marred by violence, hundreds of police kept anti-#w&%HeZ366R2%NBUIoxERD(#F+(h-xPpbTCdA@s&$ASthpIZE7gay protesters from LGBT attendees and their supporters.

Attendees marched 1.7 kilometers through the city streets, heard speechsM=ekxGF84Wl0i!ZKF4gentJGSKjuCTWsSSE%YKis0cr%c7znhes from NGOs and activists, and, of course, danced to K-pop.

Police and barriers separated the anti-LGBT groups who gatherexHV--5Nue4y2ER=sQs3PKFS+bug5!=ldsrH_3OdSpx27=GJwC+d to protest the festival. 

Thousands of anti-LGBT protesX2S5rU^Ar-5DrmuhgqPg1ruiS(WdNSzrbC_IS&cqikCSE5*rL#ters gathered at Bupyeong 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 festival, accordixo+kqT!q)WvJ4%3luocxbvUdj(xm280CzOeltOYbsO0mMuwb)^ng to local media Kyeongin.

Last year, anti-gay protesters physica9V7yS*k21yBs^8B18gIXW7WX*RJkWG@QX%_b0C$kWpSlBoRgdelly blocked 300 LGBT supporters from leaving a plaza and beginning the march.

Anti-gay hate

Homos5xEa_y@^ZvMImGOELcL7OX)MI#2uAA(av+WM=Ypqs%I+XEE(S9exuality is legal in South Korea. But conservative attitudes, especially among Christians, force many LGBTI Koreans to live in the closet.

There is currently no discrimination legislation to protect LGBTI Koreans. Protests7EA+1cV_BlsdzFJfA-AFv*gzTP%iK(fMWf+IEX-L-7_Ids)TKj against LGBTI events, usually led by conservative Christians, have become increasingly loud and violent.

A 2017 Korean Gallup Daily Opinion poll reported Xs(c*c86wiC((c1DrM)N+0FAf+Sa4(FHi4o4&TnX8@j2D6YQx_66% of 19-29 year-olds supported same-sex marriage, but 76% of those over 60 opposed it. 

Video shared online shows distressing sceneTWV0#Xv(1FO%cu*nJz0C4_1M)Jpl2OiQt(0#7tvNMe4WuIkC_ds of protesters, believed to be conservative Christians, shouting at pride attendees.

They also appeaXn2jQICamb41I2qN2ETAP5ZWNgk-cvqfaQfft$H)xT@NUJDlZlr to grab flags, banners, and even attendees. The pride was attended by a lot of young LGBTI South Koreans who were visibly shaken by the incident.

Police booked eight people involved but did not detain them. Organizers acctT*i4i^AXRszh6P+!X#cSKc8uU%5V6LgDdrzBIUaPQ&Ioo4hwZused the police of failing to stop the violence.

 "We've organized teams of hu=E_2bGrN+oXGn%OQOuPV81C@lKJ@T7R%eE-zR-vT$EbxmzJ&n*man rights activists and lawyers to counter any illegitimate action by LGBT hate groups," organizers said in an Aug. 19 tweet.