Hundreds celebrate LGBT pride in Incheon

An LGBT pride parade in the South Korean port city of Incheon was)iSKoUZppD=d9v#JjUI0nlrRo3j^Qk%4^%KFxG6ZF9aW4x8er0 held successfully on Saturday.

H&A*U9J2mxr2OQoI2sR_m=wJHXSrGn#HrJ#G1irscPj6MVW8HbAfter last year’s Incheon Queer Culture Festival was marred by violence, hundreds of police kept anti-gay protesters from LGBT attendees and their supporters.

Attendees marched 1.7 kilometers through the city streets, hear9t6a_1mHAjZpMS$lJ+p3-Eo-$eZutVN2ihPcTfot#6U+Q)m2A+d speeches from NGOs and activists, and, of course, danced to K-pop.

Police and banMlbE&gCypzOE&)wtD5=1aof*8%R7x3JfS!*TN^HS%-Do0VXNQrriers separated the anti-LGBT groups who gathered to protest the festival. 

Thousands of anti-LGBT protesters gathered at Bupyeong Plaza, according to locaqJZF(hg1H1JJfX#vO1psMAfXIGnona5A*2TgAeiUh)c^wE95R7l media. There was at least one case of a protester attempting to disrupt the gathering.

Police announced last week some 3,000 personnel would police[email protected]&bcFulc-s)B5UVR2abxv&BmGd6h0TM%Tkg the festival, according to local media Kyeongin.

Last year, anti-gay protesters physically blocked 300 LGBT supporters fro4WlQ*zLN#[email protected]%3eA(c*[email protected]!_ivqdJfzsZ_Tum leaving a plaza and beginning the march.

Anti-gay hate

Homosexuality is legal in South Korea. But conservative attitudes, especially among Christians,S1s0b+Epto9k1pJdD#$uA#yzbQL&up#I#o-=fwF2$uUecLZCza force many LGBTI Koreans to live in the closet.

There is currently no discrimination legislation to protect LGBTI Koreans. Prot@(QZQqcVsxfE96BtSY^ZfrXQXD^#&WYuJcRf5A--m(RMb)3iAZests against LGBTI events, usually led by conservative Christians, have become increasingly loud and violent.

A 2017 Korean Gallup Daily Opinion poll reported 66% of 19-29 year-olds supported same-sex macqvvIIaL)*rTKbCv&rZzEZ)-3u8^6AoBl_mS)89_XL3^tJuVYQrriage, but 76% of those over 60 opposed it. 

Video shared online shows distressing scenes of protesters, believednnwv+e1zI49cXzC=N+c5301Ir*Ir+b1h+DuSmq&=tqL^$(dldz to be conservative Christians, shouting at pride attendees.

They also appear to grab flags, banners, and even attendees. The pride was attended by a lot of young LGBTI South KoreansGivD^tS0v+r-((oji1Nz_aHYeKo!ep86^uRHKn%8!c=IrWrje( who were visibly shaken by the incident.

Police booked eight people involved but did not detain them. OrganizeTn8l50&980=Nw5cxna^Ws*P*[email protected])_48F3Xv8*C2ujPZcgrs accused the police of failing to stop the violence.

 "We've organized teams of human rights activists and lawyers to counter any illegitimate action by LGBT hate groups," [email protected]&IJrdTxhYTnZy($+SpA2Av-ZckC**uYH-organizers said in an Aug. 19 tweet.