Talking for Change

Written By Laura Becker

On the evening of December 18, 2015, several dozen Korean and international Gwangju residents crowded into the Youth Center Archives for the second event in the Real Talk series. Hosted by the program Hello Korea on Gwangju Foreign Network (GFN), “Rainbow Youth: Talking for Change” addressed the challenges faced by LGBT+ youth in Korea and the culture, issues and organizations that affect them.

Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual identifying people (henceforth referred to as LGBT) have higher rates of depression and 4-6 times the suicide rates of heterosexual people, according to a November 2015 study. The plight of Korean LGBT is perhaps highlighted by the fact that even Gwangju, a city with an emphasis on human rights, does not have a single organization geared toward LGBT issues.

The Jeolla province tends to be more socially conservative than the Seoul metropolitan area. But, even LGBT organizations in Seoul are currently not supported by government funds but by civilians, peoples’ groups and their own fundraising efforts.

Incheon’s Diversity Korea facilitates diversity training and human rights education. Jihak Kim of Diversity Korea made the journey from Incheon to lead the discussion, knowing Gwangju LGBT youth face a more hostile environment than their counterparts in and around Seoul.

Kim sees LGBT rights as a natural progression of Gwangju’s human rights history. In the 1970s and 1980s, Gwangju citizens fought for democratization; around 1983, democratization allowed minority groups recognition and a voice.

It is difficult to pinpoint the beginning of the LGBT movement in Korea because there was no single historical moment. People typically do not publicly “come out of the closet” and same-sex relationships have thus remained under the surface.

LGBT issues are sometimes seen as foreign issues in Korea. Kim said that international residents can contribute by expressing their thoughts on everyday incidents relating to LGBT issues. Both international residents and Koreans can be allies by stopping hate speech when they hear it and offering emotional support should someone choose to share his or her sexual orientation. Kim emphasized the importance of listening before responding and looking for similarities, not differences.

While the conversation can be complicated by religious beliefs, sexual orientation and religion are both part of the diversity of human experience. “Accepting others is something we can all do, regardless of religion,” Kim stated.

In Korea, the word “multi-cultural” is usually used to refer to foreigners or mixed-race families, but Kim explained that every person exists within and interacts with multiple cultures, according to age, gender, sexual orientation, income, geographic location and more.

To introduce terms commonly used in discussions about LGBT issues, Kim showed the “Genderbread Person,” a cartoon explaining the differences between gender identity, gender expression, biological sex, and sexual and romantic attraction.

Before taking questions from the audience, Kim introduced the guest speaker, a member of the LGBT student club at Chonnam National University (CNU). For his safety, the young man used a pseudonym and requested no photos be taken of him at the event.

Through a translator, he said that he had been nervous to come to the event for fear that he might be recognized. Coming from Seoul, he is acutely aware of the lack of diversity in Gwangju, where there are no city-wide programs and the only LGBT organizations are student clubs at universities.

The CNU group is only a year old and does not receive university funding as a formally recognized student club. In order to attain that status, the group would have to list its members’ identities, so the students do their own fundraising by collecting fees from its 30-40 members to keep the club operating. This club is a safe space where LGBT people can be free and comfortable expressing themselves.

Prejudices and stereotypes against gay people discourage them from ever coming out, the guest speaker admitted. Coming out carries a very real threat of violence or termination from a company. Laws against same-sex conduct in the military mean that a gay man serving in the military can be jailed for expressing his sexuality. Some youth are kicked out of their homes after coming out, and while there are support centers, there are no actual shelters for LGBT youth in the entire country. “Coming out could destroy everything I have,” the guest speaker said. “Coming out can be a poison.”

During the question and answer time, more questions came from the audience than time permitted. Before the conversation continued in smaller groups over refreshments, an audience member asked the guest speaker if he thought it was too soon to pursue LGBT rights in Korea. The young man responded, “It is not even right to ask that question. Time does not matter when there is injustice. We need to fix it, not wait, and there is no such thing as too early.