Queer Korea

Banners bearing pro-queer festival messages hang near Bupyeong Station, Incheon, Saturday. Yonhap

By David Tizzard

David Tizzard

For a growing number of people in South Korea, September 8 2018 is a day that lives in memory, marking the occasion of the inaugural Incheon Queer Culture Festival.

Yet what was supposed to be an event of celebration, acceptance and openness was instead sadly marred by violent clashes and police ineffectiveness. South Korea's third-largest city had its festival widely disrupted as protesters blocked routes, verbally attacked attendees and physically harassed participants.

Despite the problems that they faced ― from administrative planning, lack of police support, and vehement disagreement from the local (mainly Christian) opposition ― the organizers promised to come back bigger, better, and stronger next year.

And they did.

One has to admire the bravery and courage of those in attendance willing to stand up to vocal pressure demanding conformity, tradition, and a singular approach to social and cultural standards, for it seemingly requires the creation of a whole new identity.

It also raises an important question as to whether one can be fully supportive of traditional Korean culture, be patriotic, and simultaneously an active member of the queer community here, or whether such values pull one in opposite directions.

Queer Culture Festival participants march near Bupyeong Station, Incheon, Saturday. Police escorted them to stave off possible physical clashes with opponents. Yonhap

Anti-queer activists hold placards criticizing homosexuality. Yonhap

Police officers take an anti-queer activist out of the festival venue. Yonhap

While homosexuality is not illegal in Korea, it has still to gain widespread acceptance among the population at large. A 2017 Korean Gallup Daily Opinion report found that though 66 percent of 19-29 year-olds supported gay marriage, 76 percent of those over 60 opposed it.

Pleasingly then, there is certainly a change taking place among Korea's youth. They are far more accepting of different ways of life, love, and learning. Not everything has to be rote-based and top-down anymore. Without descending into nihilism, there is way to accommodate different perspectives.

There are a variety of reasons for this and singular causal answers are never likely to satisfy.

The "contact hypothesis," popular in psychology and the social sciences, suggests that interaction and communication with minority members of society under appropriate conditions can reduce prejudices and increase tolerance.

Thus at a great many university campuses around the country, LGBT clubs, committees, and organizations have sprung up and given students the chance to learn. Rainbows adorn backpacks and social media profiles inform their friends of their sexuality and/or gender expression: something nigh unthinkable 15 years ago.

In another important move, Yonsei University has made human rights and gender education mandatory courses for freshmen. These are vital for the youth of any country ― the world is a large and ever-changing place and those who wish to succeed surely have to be well-informed of broader global principles and attitudes.

And back to the northwestern city of Incheon ― whose name literally means "the benevolent river". Incheon Today happily reported that the second annual queer festival had been a success and served to help alleviate the trauma of a year ago.

In an interview with the paper, Kim Ji-hak (co-organizer of the festival) said various human rights groups had helped create a safer environment this year and that it was a "place for participants to heal the wounds they suffered last year."

Further promoting the peaceful and safer celebration of individual rights and expression were international embassies committed to protecting the rights of minorities, respecting diversity and loosening the chains of discrimination.

The Irish embassy distributed badges and leaflets with the slogan "Gra (Love) is the Law" and were joined by the Australian Embassy, the New Zealand Embassy and the German Embassy. The British Embassy was also once more in attendance promoting the motto "Love is Great" and its staff fetchingly decked out in pink T-shirts and rainbow ties.

The Nordic countries of Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland also combined to create a booth that explained the development of human rights in their countries. Amnesty International also provided support.

It is worth noting that the embassies' messages were often focused on love ― they saw the beauty and compassion in what they promoted. It was not necessarily always a legal matter but rather one that examined social phenomena vis-a-vis the origins of their motivations.

Were the topics borne out of love or hate? The answer seemed quite clear.

While some journalists have taken to their twitter timelines to document and highlight the various protests "against" this celebration, detailing every banner and recording every questionable statement, I feel it is more important to find the positive expressions of warmth in such events. These social movements can often work as a Rorschach test in that one will see in them that which lies inside themselves.

Of course, however, it is important to highlight problematic behavior in society, and behavior that is outside the boundary of the law should be punished accordingly.

Nevertheless, embracing diversity has to go both ways. Just as any strong democracy requires a healthy opposition permitted to challenge the government, so when confronted with a number of social issues we should expect ― nay encourage ― discussion on both sides of the fences.

Voltaire's famed maxims, apocryphal or not, should still ring true today no matter how far away and how foreign they may sound in 21st century Korea.

A great many people found this weekend's second Incheon Queer Culture Festival a marvelous celebration of love and positivity, taking great comfort and solace in the other attendees. Let us hope that the as the years here tick by, LGBT matters are allowed a continued voice in Korean society and that the citizens are brave enough to speak their truth.

A great many issues have to be discussed as traditional culture and modernity look each other in the eye. And it is important to understand that there will never be a solution that satisfies everyone nor solves any problem. Utopias do not exist nor are they created through singular acts of law.

What remains of upmost importance is "how" people talk to each other. The process, the journey, the way in which we live, is far more relevant to society than "what" we believe individually.

Perhaps, then, we can all talk with a little bit more love in our voices.

David Tizzard (datizzard@swu.ac.kr) is an assistant professor at Seoul Women's University.