On July 1st, while the Seoul Queer Parade was taking place, “No Pride Party” was also held. It presented a political platform to discuss the diverse lives and rights of queer people who can’t be encompassed soly by proud politics.
English Translation: 지니
Translation review: Juyeon, 피웊
Writer of the original text: 권태
Review and amendments to the original text: Miguel
On July 1st when the Seoul Queer Parade took place, “No Pride Party” was held in Seoul. It was led by Research Group of Sex Work+Drug issues, Sex worker Health Rights Research Group, Scarlet Chacha, Gender Voyager, Uhmsalon the Veganism community, the POP(Power of Pleasure), IW31 (International Waters 31), and Korean Deaf LGBT. No Pride Party’s crew expressed that they don’t resonate with the politics of ‘Pride’ that focuses solely on promoting pride, containing a narrative of the excluded “illegitimate individuals” within the term “Queer Pride”.
The attendance of Gilead Science Korea, a multinational pharmaceutical company at the Seoul Queer Culture Festival also contributed to creation of the No Pride Party. Gilead Sciences produces “Truvada”, which is used for PrEP. Community R and some other communities gathered at Seoul Queer Parade and criticized Gilead’s attendance at the SQCF for two consecutive years.
This is based on the criticism that multinational pharmaceutical companies invest money in events like queer parades in various countries under the guise of sponsorship, referred to as “Pink Money.” “Pinkwashing” refers to an attempt by various companies that try to hide their anti-human right moves by using LGBTQ+ as an excuse. In this context, the criticism also shares the viewpoint that Gilead’s donations, driven by their continuous pursuit of exclusive profits through patent extensions, cannot be simply interpreted as genuine support without scrutiny. Community R pointed out that “Gilead’s portrayal of supporting LGBTQ+ rights reduces the concept of LGBTQ+ citizenship to a consumer privilege, as it is limited to those who have the ability to afford expensive medicine,” They opposed their pinkwashing tactics of multinational pharmaceutical companies that prioritize profits over the health rights of sexual minorities as a part of a profit-driven logic.
The crew of No Pride Party also raised qüestions about the “fair Standard” of Seoul Queer Parade, which allows booths for university’s queer clubs and embassies but excludes those for sex workers. They also brought attention to the sign language interpretation service, which is provided for “the possibility of deaf individuals visiting the parade,” criticizing the lack of active efforts to invite deaf individuals and to provide queer-friendly interpretation. Furthermore, they spoke out against the tendency to exclude individuals struggling with drug addiction or mental health issues within queer communities and the restriction on minors participating in the after party. Various activists and sexual minorities expressed their opinions during open mic sessions, and various actions were taken to capture the lives and rights of sexual minorities that cannot be fully encompassed by pride politics alone. More attention should be given to the specific realities of queer lives, which are marginalized within the context of pride polítics
Below is the text of No Pride Party’s prospectus
The No Pride Party, organized by illegal individuals that “Pride” finds embarrassing
You are invited to No Pride Party, an anti-pride event of queer refugees.
Dear queer people of all social standings including non-citizens, migrant workers, homeless individuals, STD carriers, multiple psychos, disabled individuals, exhibitionists, drug users, cross-dressers, and sex addicts whose presence itself is considered illegal.
We are drags that interfere queers to get positivity and respect from the normal society. We are poor queers, ugly looking queers, queers with stiff body, stupid queers, dirty and obnoxious queers, criminal queers, sick queers, disease-spreading queers.
We can’t take pride as part of the “normal” society, in fact, we don’t wish to. It’s a society that idolizes white individuals while despising people of color, where the detention centers for foreigners continue to thrive. It’s a society that refuses to guarantee the mobility rights for persons with disabilities expel viruses and infected people, and turn a blind eye to the living conditions of drug users. It’s a society that even so-called progressive politics participate in the criminalization of sex workers. Our existence, which is seen as embarrassing by this society, doesn’t fit into the pride politics that embrace queer identity and promote pride.
Some say that our ‘diversity’ can also be part of the pride, but it doesn’t align with what we have been through. We still remember being marginalized from the pride that was promoted by the pride politics, with the excuse that we threaten “normal” queers’ pride. In the phrase “Not all queers, only a matter from some of them,” our issues, which are often associated with “some,” are frequently separated as if they are not queer issues, and concealed to prevent discussions both within and outside the queer community.
From now on, we are going outside police barricades, which neither support nor protect us. Police crackdowns are common, and we live under that constant threat of police violence. Power given to the police in the name of security washes away its violence and restricts the possibilities for queer individuals.
We are now trying to break free from the booths between conglomerates and embassies. This is because we feel a sense of awareness towards the huge capitals and nation’s power that imprison and exploit marginalized queers. We resent the cunningness of power that uses the banner of queer pride while exploiting queers. We believe that these are the results and origins of racial, sexual, and class-based power that deepen inequality in this world.
We reject being a part of the pride that serves expensive steaks under fancy lights because they don’t illuminate our hunger. Some of us try to get closer to animals that became steaks, rather than the people who slice the meat.
We are heading somewhere that the problems of certain queer voices being silenced can be fully exposed. No Pride Party will be held to review the pride politics, and to criticize the power that expulses queers under the name of pride.
We object to detention centers, challenge the laws that deem us illegitimate beings, resisting the oppression that criminalizes our lives.
Decriminalize sex work!
Decriminalize drug use!
No detention centers! End imprisonment!
The nation should not control drug users, sex workers, noncitizens, and persons with HIV!
Queer communities should support us instead of reporting us to the police or spreading hatred!
English Translation: 지니
Translation review: Juyeon, 피웊
Writer of the original text: 권태
Review and amendments to the original text: Miguel
References (available in Korean)
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