Gays, churches and stupidity
How Christian groups derailed efforts for equality legislation
By Kim Tong-hyung
It has become clear that Korea’s attempt at having an anti-discrimination law will disgracefully but inevitably die in the hands of its over-powered Protestant church.
As the absurdity of the situation began to sink in, one of the first things to come to my mind was the frustration of late Japanese political theorist Maruyama Masao, who once spoke of a society’s inability to differentiate between the realms of law and private morality.
"There is an extreme confusion between laws and personal principles, a result of a society dominated by Confucian values,’’ he said, referring to Japanese authorities banning a book by law scholar Takigawa Yukitoki in 1932 because it argued for abolishing a then-existing law that punished adultery.
"The public’s opposition was based on a widespread sentiment that simply went: `What do you mean we should scrap the law that punishes the adultery of wives? Does this mean that we should encourage adultery among them?’’’
Maruyama was obviously addressing the intellectual growing pains Japan collectively experienced in the earlier part of the 20th century. But his words perfectly fit the prescription of Korea a decade into the 21st century, a society that continues to be swayed by a handful of conservative Christian organizations that approach their religion with a Confusion sense of ethics and shamanistic rage.
Homosexuals shouldn’t be treated as legal equals with heterosexuals because that would be equivalent to encouraging gay sex, say Protestant organizations led by the mighty Christian Council of Korea (CCK). These are the same groups that forced Seoul education authorities to scrap a human-rights ordinance that prohibited discrimination against under-aged students with children because, of course, that would be promoting teenage pregnancy.
Their crusade against the corrupt, gay-loving leftists who are conspiring to weaken the core of this society to the benefit of the North Koreans ― not my words, but theirs ― appears to have succeeded.
Democratic United Party (DUP) lawmakers Kim Han-gil and Choi Won-sik, who had submitted the draft anti-discrimination laws in February, confirmed Friday they will withdraw the bills, saying they can’t risk the opposition party being isolated by the Christian community.
Their step change came just days after Rev. Hong Jae-chul, CCK’s chairman, promised fire and brimstone for any political efforts to push equality for gays and lesbians.
"We didn’t have any other choice. The party was being put in danger,’’ said a representative from Choi’s office.
This isn’t the first time the DUP weaseled out of the debates on sexual minorities.
One of the confounding moments of the presidential election came when DUP candidate Moon Jae-jin, a human rights lawyer-turned-politician, pledged his full commitment toward preventing same-sex marriages from being legalized, a blatant bid to curry favor with the country’s powerful Christian groups.
This was after he spent weeks prating ad nauseam about how discrimination against minorities supposedly accelerated under the previous Lee Myung-bak government.
There is still one draft anti-discrimination law left in the National Assembly, the one written by Kim Jae-yeon of the Unified Progressive Party (UPP). It seeks to outlaw discrimination in employment and other social interactions on the grounds of age, gender, race, disability, faith and, yes, sexual orientation, as did Kim and Choi’s versions.
However, the UPP bill is practically stillborn as the leftist party is as popular as gout, unable to shake its public perception as a group of ill-advised, North Korea sympathizers.
A true, anti-discrimination law would have critical meaning in a country where women continue to deal with gender apartheid at home and work, people with disabilities deal with damaging prejudices and misunderstandings, and deeply-rooted racism complicates efforts to create a 21st century multiethnic, multicultural society.
However, the Christian council claims equality laws should only protect heterosexuals and other members of the politically convenient ― and the fact they are taken seriously shows how little Korea has matured in protecting civil liberties.
This is a country that is still more comfortable about having uniform, social standards ― and laws that are compatible with them ― rather than embracing a diverse set of values.