International Call for Solidarity with LGBT youth in South Korea for the 10th
Memorial Service of
the Late Yook Woo-dang March 26, 2013 In 2003, both adolescents and “homosexuality” were key words in
Korean LGBT discourses, and it was the first time that LGBT issues were nationally discussed. The Juvenile Protection Act(JPA) included homosexuality within the
category of what is ‘harmful’ to adolescents, until the National Human Rights Commission requested
its removal from the list in April 2003. This transformation
did not come without backlash from conservative Christian associations, which
argued that the government promotes the spread of “homosexuality” among adolescents.
Yook Woo-dang was an 18-year-old member of Donginryun (Solidarity for LGBT Human Rights of Korea), but on
April 25, 2003 he committed suicide in the Donginryun office. He left a note, which
expresses criticism and desperation about the homophobia and discrimination
against sexual minorities common in society and especially within conservative Christianity. Since Yook’s death, Donginryun
has held memorial services every April 25th, to commemorate him and to discuss LGBT youth issues
more broadly. During these ten years, the LGBT movement has developed and
gained broader support from other sectors of society. Also, more efforts have
been made which focus on LGBT youth issues in
the area of education, counseling, and policy-making. As a result, some local
government offices of education, including Seoul, legislated the Student Human Rights Ordinance and
banned any kind of discrimination, including discrimination due to sexual
orientation or gender identity. At the same time, conservative groups’ backlash
also intensified. The new Education
Superintendent in Seoul, Moon Yong-lin, is trying to amend the Ordinance without including
any mention of sexual orientation and gender identity. Other local governments are
doing the same, continuing to argue
that “homosexuality” is harmful to adolescents. Conservative groups also oppose the introduction of
the Anti-Discrimination Law, claiming it promotes homosexuality. This is the 10thanniversary of Yook Woo-dang’s death. In the last ten
years, there have been many LGBT people who have encountered different types of
discrimination, violence, hate crimes and suicide. In an effort to stop the
hate and discrimination against LGBT people and
specifically to prevent more deaths among LGBT youth, Donginryun is
preparing a more special memorial service this year. We would greatly appreciate a solidarity message from your organization for the 10th memorial service of the late Yook Woo-dang. We
will publish your messages on our web page for international viewing, as
well as reading or presenting them on video during the memorial service. Send your solidarity message by
April 21 on lgbtpride@empas.com We also welcome your generous donations. Donations can be paid directly into
our bank account and the details are:
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Name of Bank : Kookmin Bank
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Address of Bank : 9th FL. Sewoo Bldg.
10, Yeouido-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu,
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Swift Code(for foreign transfers) : CZNBKRSEXXX
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Account Number : 032901-04-226666
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Name of Account : Kwak Ekyeong
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Phone Number : 82+70-7592-9984
For more
information, please email us.
Regards,
Donginryun(Solidarity
for LGBT Human Rights of S.Korea)
Contact Tel : 82+70-7592-9984 Website :
http://lgbtpride.or.kr/ Email : lgbtpride@empas.com Twitter :
@lgbtaction Facebook
: lgbtaction
See also
: http://www.iglhrc.org/cgi-bin/iowa/article/pressroom/pressrelease/574.html
Seoul, Korea
