Homophobia, scram!

By Jon Dunbar

Recently pictures of a Christian protest went viral online, in which the protesters asked why U.S. President Barack Obama “incite homosex in Korea” and demanding that he “scram” (sic).

It got a few laughs, but then the full letter from the OJL Mission in Korea to the U.S. Embassy was revealed, showing the poisonous ideas behind their hatred ― and it is hatred. Obama wasn't actively encouraging Korean people experiment with each other's bodies ― the embassy was supporting a forum for parents of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transsexuals (LGBT) which the Christian group saw as interference in domestic affairs.

This underlies the narrative of recent decades that homosexuality is a foreign concept that was brought here from outside, when in reality, homosexuality as a part of human nature has been here as long as humans have ― it's Christianity that's the foreign import. This is just one of many logical “brainfarts” included in the letter.

This letter clarified that “they truly love people with homosexuality and that's why they oppose homosexuality,” which is about as convincing as the Ku Klux Klan's recent claims that they don't hate black people.

They say the majority of Koreans oppose homosexuality and claim to speak for 10 million Christians here. Surveys confirm that a majority are still uncomfortable with homosexuality, but that number is shrinking remarkably fast. But the vast majority of Koreans were not there last June physically blockading the Gay Pride Parade. Those 10 million Christians did not all protest in front of City Hall when the mayor tried to pass a human rights charter that would have provided LGBTs basic rights, including protection from workplace discrimination. That silent majority probably is turned off by the mental image of two men together; frankly speaking a lot of LGBT supporters, myself included, likewise get squeamish. Then again, we're also all disgusted by the thought of our parents having sex, though we should be grateful they did.

There's nothing two males can do to each other that a male can't do with a female. Anyone engaging in unprotected penetrative sex, straight or gay, could transmit the virus. But wait, I've actually seen anti-LGBT Christian protesters holding signs indicating that lesbian sexual contact also spreads HIV, which is even less likely than in heterosexual sex. There have been a few isolated cases of female-on-female HIV transmission, but they are considered a medical fluke almost as rare as immaculate conception.

We should also remember that the LGBT life isn't just about nonstop anal sex, which seems to be the main fixation of Christian protesters alongside HIV/AIDS. We're talking about people, not a sex act, which is all OJL seems to see. Like anybody else, LGBT people are also working hard, studying and contemplating their futures, paying rent, and seeing their families. They are entitled to normal lives.

The letter has helpful information about how LGBTs “lead a very miserable life” and “are going through psychological struggle inside,” citing a suicide rate four times the average, a cancer rate double the average and a lifespan 25 to 30 years shorter than the average. All this is true, but rather than blaming a “sex addiction,” the true evil behind this is ostracization from mainstream society, often even estrangement from their own families.

Korea actually has a rising HIV/AIDS rate, especially centered among gay males in urban areas according to UNAIDS, though it is still considered a low-burden country for the virus. These Christian groups are peddling the stigma of those diseases, the same stigma that prevents introduction of public measures addressing the problem, that discourages at-risk individuals from seeking protection or testing that physically bans HIV/AIDS patients from receiving the medical care they desperately need. Continued opposition to people who are LGBT will push them into the shadows where they are more at risk. They should fight the stigma, not the individual.

Some parents may be shocked to learn that their kids are LGBT, and currently they would be expected to choose between their kids or their god. But loving parents shouldn't have to make that choice, and it's groups like that which the U.S. Embassy was involved in where they should seek support, for the good of their families.

Christian protesters, if they want to prove they don't hate LGBTs, should refrain from obstruction of initiatives designed to improve lives. I'd like to see them show up at next month's Gay Pride Festival, and rather than yelling at the participants, instead say they love them. Rather than forcefully trying to disrupt the parade, offer a hug. Want to really make a difference? Hand out free condoms.

And don't just do it at Gay Pride events ― spread those messages of acceptance and safe sex in the nation's schools, in the streets, in your own homes, and watch the HIV transmission rate ― as well as the teen pregnancy and abortion rates ― plummet.

Jon Dunbar works as a copyeditor and contributing

writer at The Korea Times. The opinion

expressed in this colum belongs to the

author and doesn’t reflect the editorial policy

of the paper.