Organizers in South Korea have announced they will host the nation’s annual gay pride parade in June despite disapproval from city officials, the Wall Street Journal reports.
A Seoul district office initially approved the 2014 Korea Queer Festival, which is entering its 15th year, but then revoked the permission, fearing the parade might stir further controversy amid the aftermath of last month’s ferry tragedy, which has drawn heavy public criticism of the South Korean government.
The organizers of the parade say officials are being pressured by Christian groups that oppose offering civil rights for sexual minorities, though the district-office spokesman insist that the protests had no impact on the cancellation. A number of sporting, government and promotional events in South Korea have been canceled in South Korea recently as its citizens are still mourning the Sewol ferry’s sinking on April 16, which took more than 300 lives.
Nevertheless, even though website of the district office is filled with complaints by opponents of the gay rights movement, the event will go on, the organizing committee has assured. It will be happening in the Sinchon district of Seoul, a hipster-filled region where several of the country’s top universities are located.
Many South Koreans are averse to accepting homosexuality, according to last year’s poll conducted by the Pew Research Center. Only 39 percent of those surveyed said homosexuality should be accepted while 59 percent still opposed the idea. Some Christian groups even protested the 2012 concert by pop star Lady Gaga, saying that the artist is in Korea to spread pro-gay propaganda.
However, the percentage of South Koreans who believe society should accept homosexuality more than doubled from 2007. The level of awareness has risen rapidly with the mainstream media’s coverage of the LGBT culture and public figures who have come out as gay.
