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American adults
who identify as
LGBT
Source: Gallup Poll 2012
53%
39% 27%
Same-sex
Marriage
Approval Rates in America
IN
2013
IN 2006 IN 1996
Korean society remains ambivalent about gay rights
Thirteen years ago, when then-model and ac-
tor Seok-cheon Hong came out of the closet, he
became the frst openly gay celebrity in Korea. Af-
ter arousing controversy due to his sexual orienta-
tion, Hong was fred from his prime-time variety
show and banned from appearing on television
and radio programs for three years. Now, more
than a decade later, Korean society remains di-
vided about supporting the rights of lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.
On June 28, Reverend Jae-chul Hong, chairman
of Christian Council of Korea, a Protestant organi-
zation representing 45,000 churches, criticized
America for abandoning Puritan beliefs. Accord-
ing to the Korea Times, back in May, as a result of
Hongs threats and hundreds of indignant phone
calls, lawmakers Han-gil Kim and Won-shik Choi
of the Democratic Party renounced their two anti-
discrimination billsbills intended to ban preju-
dice against people based on categories such as
sexual orientation, skin color and religion.
Many people do not like changes in cultural
order because it is not easy for them to change
something they have known all throughout their
lives, said Alex Lopez, social studies teacher. Be-
cause organized religion is closely related to tradi-
tion and usually represents a sense of community
and stability, a signifcant portion of people who
are against gay marriage tend to be people who
are religious.
Although Korea remains a relatively conserva-
tive society, according to a poll conducted by Pew
Research, there has been a signifcant shift in at-
titude.
While 77 percent of the Korean population
expressed their disapproval of homosexuality in
2007, according to the same poll, this year, only
59 percent of Koreans objected to homosexual-
ity. Another survey from the same study indicates
that while 71 percent of South Koreans aged 18-29
approve of homosexuality, only 48 percent of resi-
dents aged 30-49 and 16 percent of those aged 50
and over do.
Before the start of freshman year, I went to a
summer music program in Pennsylvania and, for
the frst time ever, met students who were openly
gay and lesbian, Yasmin Yoon (11) said. When I
came back to Korea and told my peers about meet-
ing openly LGBT students, they were surprised but
did not express any disgust. Rather than purposely
discriminating against gay people, I think Koreans
are just unaccustomed to the idea of homosexual
relationships. Because the younger generation is
more used to this idea, it seems natural that as the
years go by, Koreans [will] become more under-
standing of gay people.
In keeping with the general trend of growing
acceptance, over the summer, numerous events
acknowledging gay rights took place in Korea. For
example, Director Jho Ghangsoo Kim announced
his plan to symbolically marry his male partner,
Dave Kim, in a massive public ceremony in Seoul on
Sept. 7. Additionally, on June 1, hundreds of peo-
ple, including Jho Ghangsoo Kim and transgender
singer and actress Harisu, participated in the 2013
Queer Culture Festival, an annual event that aims
to acknowledge the rights of LGBT people.
As the generation of younger Koreans be-
comes more outspoken in promoting equal rights,
acceptance of the LGBT community is becoming
more likely.
At my school in Portland, Oregon, a handful of
students were open about being LGBT and even
students who werent part of the LGBT commu-
nity would partake in clubs that promoted [equal
rights], Jenny Nam (12) said. Students at SIS seem
less comfortable with this topic because they are
less familiar with LGBT students and deal with
more parental and peer pressure to ft in. How-
ever, because Koreas pace is so quick regarding
[many aspects of society] like technology, busi-
ness, entertainment and westernization, an unfa-
miliar topic such as the LGBT movement may not
be as far of as we think.
By Celine Hwang
LGBT rights movement gains momentum but not without resistance
There was controversy over the two landmark
decisions made by the US Supreme Court in Unit-
ed States v. Windsor and Hollingsworth v. Perry
this past June. This points to societys increased
political and social attention to the lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender (LGBT) movement.
Yet, there is still opposition to this movement.
According to the New York Times, about 150,000
French demonstrators marched in June to protest
against Frances legalization of gay marriage, in-
dicating that the legislation has triggered disap-
proval.
I think theres a limit to which society can
achieve acceptance, said Gray Macklin, counse-
lor. There are limits to how much a society can
change, without changing everything else. As
long as the social order is the way it is, I dont see
people getting more tolerant or accepting as they
are today.
Russia also successfully passed a law that for-
bids the public discussion of non-traditional sexu-
al relations in locations where minors are present.
Considering this legislation to be an anti-LGBT
law, many pro-gay organizations have called for a
boycott of Russias 2014 Sochi Olympics to protest
against Russias stance on the LGBT rights move-
ment and support LGBT athletes.
Opposition also exists in countries that have
fully or partially legalized same-sex marriage such
as the US. The American Family Association, a fun-
damentalist Christian non-proft organization, be-
lieves that same-sex marriage is a moral issue that
impacts the family. Other groups, including the
National Association for Research and Therapy of
Homosexuality, attempts to allegedly treat LGBT
individuals by ofering conversion therapy. The
controversy over the gay rights movement has
been an ongoing issue for a few decades. Some
have even compared it to other movements in his-
tory.
I frmly believe that equality for gay Ameri-
cans is the major civil rights issue of our genera-
tion, said Anthony Loveday, social studies teacher.
[It parallels the situation] 50 years ago, [when]
equality for African Americans and people of all
races and ethnicities [was a major concern].
Mr. Macklin diferentiated between the civil
and human rights (parts) of the LGBT movement,
describing the human rights movement as an at-
tempt to increase the social acceptance of the
LGBT minority and address social issues, such
as anti-hate crime legislation and the civil rights
movement as an fght for more theoretical and le-
gal rights, such as gay marriage.
I think that the LGBT rights movement has
progressed a lot faster as a result of the movement
for civil rights of African Americans because Amer-
icans see the fow of history, Mr. Macklin said.
There was no support originally for gay marriage,
then out of the blue, you see polls saying that peo-
ple [support] it. I think people look at it and real-
ize this is the direction things are going, and you
can either try and hold back the food or you get
washed away.
Mr. Macklin also said that the importance of
the two recent court cases in America is often
overestimated, and emphasized the role that
American society is playing in changing the politi-
cal landscape.
[Legal changes] will happen over a long pe-
riod of time, Mr. Macklin said. We put a lot of
weight into court cases, but I am skeptical about
their impact. The impacts of court cases are that
they are precedents. But in terms of the general
social climate, I think they tend to be irrelevant. If
anything, the successes in these court cases refect
the result of a change [in society] than the cause of
a change.
According to Christine Kim (12), MUN presi-
dent, acceptance of the LGBT community and
their rights also largely depends on the region of
the world, sometimes because prevalent religions
in certain areas oppose homosexuality.
I think [the LGBT movement] has been rela-
tively successful in the Statespeople are becom-
ing more open-minded, Christine said. I wouldnt
say its happening internationally. Asia is still super
conservative, and many people in the Middle East
cant imagine being a part of that community. But
I think most of the Western world has accepted it.
By Jungho Daniel Choi and Michael Kim