Hundreds celebrate LGBT pride in Incheon

An LGBT pride parade in the South Korean port city of Incheon was held successfullXq*Bv0j9#IXZ$B3F3hz%7v*[email protected][email protected]$U5y on Saturday.

After last year’s Incheon Queer Culture Festival was marred by violence, hundreds of police kept anti-gay protesters from LGBT attendees and their supporte+I0eSgBJ57Hx_gY6rOt7o1E=PNPL7IXwQs0Y-LW_+u0w9Q-zcOrs.

Attendees marched 1.7 kilometers through the city streets, heard speeches [email protected]*n4!ht6^[email protected])!qpp^OYKu^[email protected]from NGOs and activists, and, of course, danced to K-pop.

Polic[email protected]*^)#-ZUT-iMztIfL!Y6G*tZ$GqumLHGvhx$ncTZCF5e and barriers separated the anti-LGBT groups who gathered to protest the festival. 

Thousands of anti-LGBT protesters gathered at Bupyeong Plaza, according to local media. There was at leastXuUED#nGJ#fu5s^0wmnD*BJw%a0KODRtuhAemQ0VWSKk%=Dt%h one case of a protester attempting to disrupt the gathering.

Police announced last week some 3,00&Edk8%lS*[email protected]([email protected]%s4RzXHZnF4eXw)U-0 personnel would police the festival, according to local media Kyeongin.

Last year, anti-gay protesters physically blocked 301Zap_BRffOIha)3)x2XFyB9E9e6vT9nckS76If$+0P8%7z(%S&0 LGBT supporters from leaving a plaza and beginning the march.

Anti-gay hate

Homosexuality is legal in South Korea. But conservative attitudes, especially among Christians, force many LGBTI KoreanszpwqP9$QT2bUX%H4vvw#Yp#$npL6X$LS6xZld!SP=+#9YwD^Wg to live in the closet.

There is currently no^F&!+CEx=9n03jjU^t%E%H)(W1K6vHh3++%mrjTylsMhfdf6^* discrimination legislation to protect LGBTI Koreans. Protests against LGBTI events, usually led by conservative Christians, have become increasingly loud and violent.

A 2017 Korean Gallup Das2#G8%W+277nblCK7J!8XuBrnHYj&vU77U#[email protected]*j_qgily Opinion poll reported 66% of 19-29 year-olds supported same-sex marriage, but 76% of those over 60 opposed it. 

Video shared online shows distressing scenes of p)I#mLeURRlU=7c*7%[email protected]rotesters, believed to be conservative Christians, shouting at pride attendees.

They also appear to grab flags, banners, and even attendees. The pride was attend$O0Hg)$9lw5XGRVvy(pf$DXVgavw%G4Mc0L3jBVJP2VFmz%lSsed by a lot of young LGBTI South Koreans who were visibly shaken by the incident.

PoljV_X-DvUiezopew()L6FYRUchm05iXVik([email protected]+h$0Co3xUhice booked eight people involved but did not detain them. Organizers accused the police of failing to stop the violence.

 "We've organized teams of human rDFI=5-eA*n$Mzl^zir7zn5td^%_E%th!nY=!7si^QqsO)JT*#vights activists and lawyers to counter any illegitimate action by LGBT hate groups," organizers said in an Aug. 19 tweet.