On May 3rd, the Seoul Metropolitan Government prohibited the use of Seoul Plaza for the Seoul Queer Culture Festival (SQCF). This decision has sparked strong criticism regarding discriminatory treatment towards sexual minorities. Our march will not be stopped.
English Translation: Juyeon
Translation review: 지니, 피웊
Writer of the original text: 권태
Review and amendments to the original text: Miguel
On May 3rd, the Seoul Plaza Operation Citizen Committee (hereinafter referred to as the 'Committee') decided to prohibit the use of Seoul Plaza by the Organizing Committee of SQCF on July 1st. Instead, the committee allowed the Christian Television System (CTS) Cultural Foundation to host the “Youth Recovery Concert.”
A few days later, the minutes of the meeting where the decision was made were made public, and these minutes ignited the anger of queer communities. The minutes contained statements such as “Controversial and problematic festivals like this should be filtered out by the committee” and “Such festivals are not good in terms of education.” The statements opposing SQCF’s use of Seoul Plaza by the committee members were based on the notions of “publicness,” “citizens’ decency,” and “harm to citizens.” In response to this situation, the SQCF Organizing Committee and citizens argue that this is the result of discriminatory administration.
In South Korea, it is not the first time that queer related events have experienced administrative discrimination. The SQCF has faced ongoing pressure from the committee to censor the content of the event. There have been instances where the hosting application for the Queer Women’s Sports Festival was canceled, leading to legal proceedings in which the organizers ultimately won. To counteract the efforts of hate groups and obstructive forces, the SQCF organized the “Rainbow Queue” event in 2015 to file a rally for the pride parade. This event was a response to the requirement in South Korea to file a rally notification with the local police station before organizing one. In this particular case, the Namdaemun Police Station coerced participants into forming a queue to submit their rally notification.
Check out the article about the discrimination faced by queer events in public institutions in South Korea: Amid discrimination from Korean public institutions, Seoul pride parade returns after 3 years
Amidst the SQCF Organizing Committee’s determination to proceed with the festival on July 1st, university campuses also took action to support them. Led by the Student and Minority Human Rights Committee of Seoul National University, more than 20 organizations from 10 universities came together to hold the “University Rainbow Parade.” On May 12th, the participants of the parade gathered in Sinchon, where the 2014 SQCF had previously taken place, despite intense obstruction by hate groups. Representatives from various queer organizations such as QIS from Seoul National University, Hongbansa from Hongik University, and HaiQueer from Hanyang University Erica Campus spoke during the event. The participants marched through the Sinchon area, carrying flags and placards, to the beat of queer K-pop songs. They also concluded the parade by singing Girls’ Generation’s “Into the New World,” a beloved anthem at pride parades.
Check out this article about the issues faced by queer clubs in university campuses: We Are on This Campus As Well – Struggles of LGBTQ+ Clubs Being Approval as Central Clubs In University
On the other hand, Sungkonghoe University, known for its active human rights discourse, encountered obstacles when attempting to organize the 1st Mini Queer Parade. Anti-Mini Queer Parade posters were posted throughout the university campus, and the university administration also released a statement opposing the parade. However, after a meeting involving representatives from the organizing unit of the Mini Queer Parade and the Emergency Response Committee of the Student Council, the university administration eventually retracted its statement. As a result, the 1st Mini Queer Parade at Sungkonghoe University was rescheduled to June 20th to be able to proceed.
Check out this article about Sungkonghoe University: “What Makes Our Urination & Defecation Political?”
Various queer rights organizations have shown active support by issuing joint statements of solidarity. In particular, there has been significant interest and support from overseas, including Taiwan LGBT+ Pride and Hong Kong Pride Parade. Religious organizations such as the Human Rights Center of the National Council of Churches in Korea, Catholic LGBT+ Ally, and All Together Church PUB have also issued joint statements in support.
The SQCF Organizing Committee is currently planning another “Rainbow Line-Up" event to facilitate the necessary rally registration for securing the venue and route for the Seoul Queer Parade. Despite facing various forms of discrimination and hate, our fellow activists are fighting to create a rainbow this summer in South Korea.
* This article’s main text was last updated as of May 31st, and as of June 7th, the Seoul Queer Culture Festival has announced Eulji-ro 2-ga as the parade venue.
English Translation: Juyeon
Translation review: 지니, 피웊
Writer of the original text: 권태
Review and amendments to the original text: Miguel
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