‘Stop pretending we don’t exist’: Seoul fills its streets with Pride colour
‘This is the one time of year people feel they can truly show who they are,’ says one festival attendee
TL;DR
- Tens of thousands attended Seoul's annual queer culture festival, one of Asia's largest Pride events.
- LGBTQ+ people in South Korea lack basic legal protections and an anti-discrimination law has been stalled for nearly two decades.
- The festival took place in a different location after Seoul Plaza was deemed undesirable by the mayor.
- Booths representing civil society groups, university clubs, and diplomatic missions were present.
- A Seoul court recently ruled that a same-sex couple constituted a protected legal union, though same-sex marriage is not recognized.
- Conservative Protestant groups significantly influence the blocking of an anti-discrimination law.
- Counter-protesters held a rival rally, calling homosexuality a sin.
- Activists and attendees expressed frustration with politicians and called for the passage of an anti-discrimination law.