A planned gay pride festival has become the latest flashpoint of conflict between South Korean LGBT activists and conservative Christians, with the religious protestors attempting to book the venue to stop the event. Protestant groups have vigorously opposed plans to hold a LGBT pride parade at Seoul Plaza on June 28, physically blocking applications for the necessary permits.On May 21, police announced they would accept applications for public events at the end of June on a first-come, first-served basis at Namdaemun Police Station. This prompted a group calling itself the “Love Your Country, Love Your Children Movement” to queue outside the station indefinitely to prevent the festival organizers from applying for a permit.
The event is not without its critics. Most active among them are conservative Christian groups. Such groups have actively sought to stifle the festival’s events. As previously covered by The Diplomat, the “Love Your Country, Love Your Children Movement” went so far as to physically block LGBT activists from applying for the necessary permit to host a pride parade at Seoul Plaza by queuing indefinitely outside the police station, where applications are submitted.The conservative Christian group was successful, insofar as they were able to prevent the LGBT activists from obtaining a permit. The police decided not to issue a permit, claiming a parade would likely disrupt traffic.
Peter Daley talked with one protester holding a sign in English that said “People[‘s] body is the temple of god – not for homosexuality.” “Her main concern, apart from the ‘sin’ aspect, is the declining birth rate so I asked her if she plans to have lots of kids,” Peter said. “My husband doesn’t want children,” she replied.
South Korea's gay pride organisers have won a court battle against conservatives and police seeking to block their parade celebrating sexual minorities late this month, they said Wednesday.The Seoul Administrative Court on Tuesday ruled in favor of parade organisers, invalidating a police ban on the parade imposed last month. Police had cited public safety concerns and traffic disruptions as the reasons behind the ban. "Assemblies can be prohibited only when they directly threaten public order," the court said in a statement.It also noted that the organisers of the annual parade had long been preparing for the event and therefore would suffer great damage should the event be scrapped.
Many of these bigoted cult members were chanting the most heinous things, some were speaking in tongues, others were abusive to the police in the area. I myself was in a confrontation with a cop who appeared to be taking the side of some of the people who had just attacked me last Sunday.
