Most South Koreans oppose same-sex marriage, and the government has no plans to recognise it
recent “Queer Culture Festival” in Incheon was a challenge. Upon emerging from the subway, participants had to pass through a large crowd of protesters who wept, prayed loudly and told passers-by that they would burn in hell. One man had painted his face and bare feet red and wheeled a large wooden cross up and down the street, wearing a red crown of thorns and a pained expression.
That was an improvement on last year, when protesters prevented the organisers from setting up their stalls in the first place and violently attacked the parade. Gay-rights activists in South Korea often have to contend with insults and threats of violence. The authorities do not seem to care much. The organisers of a queer festival in the southern city of Busan recently cancelled a street party following a dispute with the local government over permits.
Sex between male soldiers is illegal, and men continue to be sent to jail for it. Many mainstream politicians are vocal homophobes, which appeals to some Confucian traditionalists and evangelical Christians. The leader of the main opposition party recently stressed that he was opposed to homosexuality and that South Korea needed to protect its “beautiful family values”.
. Young people, however, are more liberal than their elders. More than half of those in their 20s think gay people should be allowed to wed, so no doubt they will be able to some day. For now, though, gay life in South Korea can be miserable. “Some of my friends have killed themselves, others have been forced into psychiatric wards or conversion therapy,” says Kim Hye-yeon, a 20-something from Busan. “There’s nowhere for us to go, nobody to protect us.”"Pride and protest"
México Últimas Noticias, México Titulares
Similar News:También puedes leer noticias similares a ésta que hemos recopilado de otras fuentes de noticias.
Typhoon kills 3 in South Korea before moving to North KoreaSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — One of the most powerful typhoons to ever hit South Korea swept along the country's coast on Saturday, toppling trees, grounding planes and causing at least three deaths...
Leer más »
Typhoon kills 5 in North Korea, 3 in South KoreaThe North's official Korean Central News Agency said the typhoon left 460 houses and 15 public buildings destroyed, damaged or inundated in the country
Leer más »
South America leaders gather to discuss protection of AmazonLeaders of several South American nations that share the Amazon have met in Colombia to discuss ways to increase protection of the world's largest rainforest
Leer más »
Typhoon leaves thousands of South Korean homes powerlessSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Typhoon winds toppled trees, grounded planes and left thousands of South Korean homes without electricity on Saturday as a powerful storm system brushed up against the...
Leer más »
Nigeria's Buhari to visit South Africa after attacksNigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari will visit South Africa next month to ...
Leer más »
Will South America’s “pink tide” return?Political fragmentation and low presidential approval ratings in South America do not translate automatically into a return of the left
Leer más »