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| A street parade for the Korea Queer Festival is underway at Seoul Plaza, Sunday. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk |
By Lee Kyung-min
The Korea Queer Festival ended with a street parade in central Seoul, Sunday, amid protest rallies by Christian and parents' groups nearby.
Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall was filled with participants in the closing ceremony and opponents of gay rights. Police set up a wall between the two groups and mobilized some 5,000 officers to prevent a possible clash between them.
Some Christian activists tried to disrupt the parade by lying on the street, but no major violent clashes were reported.
The closing ceremony was attended by numerous noted figures, including U.S. Ambassador to Korea Mark Lippert and Hong Seok-cheon, a well-known TV personality, who came out as a homosexual in the late 1990.
Organizers of the event, which began on June 4, said this year's event was especially meaningful because it coincided with the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states. The top court said based on the U.S. Constitution, same-sex couples have the right to marry on grounds of due process and equal protection under the law.
The organizers said conservative groups refusing to recognize their rights not only falls far short of international standards, but shows utmost bigotry against respecting those who are different from them.
"They justify forcing us to stay silent in the name of God, to deny who we are, to lie for the rest of our lives for the only purpose of them feeling comfortable," a participant said. "That is sheer bigotry at its highest. We have the right not to be discriminated against solely because of our sexual orientation. Just like they have a right not to be persecuted because of their religion."
A number of civic groups representing parents and school teachers staged rallies near Seoul Plaza, denouncing homosexuality.
The Seoul Namdaemun Police Station initially disallowed the street parade, but the Seoul Administrative Court later lifted the ban, allowing the parade to take place.
A Christian group said in a statement, "Homosexuality is sinful, against the natural order given to us by God. They should be punished.
"Openly holding these events fosters the notion that sexual intercourse between the same sexes is okay, which we oppose."
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