A golden oldie… it used to be only nation-states could cause accidental explosions like this. god bless this country for giving every family an unsecured explosive stockpile https://t.co/y0i4P7kS6p — Robert Evans (The Only Robert Evans) (@IwriteOK) June 29, 2023 Nation-states (in this case, apparently, Russia) still have some advantages: this is a proton-m booster, and …
Monday Morning Open Thread: <em>Boom!</em>Post + Comments (151)
SEOUL — Thousands of revelers gathered Saturday for the South Korean capital’s Pride celebration, waving rainbow banners and parading through the streets despite the sultry monsoon heat, energized by the city’s decision to deny the event a permit for the use of a prominent plaza.
The lively mood was in stark contrast to the relatively muted presence of conservative protesters, who in years past have surrounded the plaza near City Hall, casting a shadow over the Pride celebrations with homophobic slogans blaring through loudspeakers. This year, parade-goers cheekily chanted their slogans back at them while drag queens and DJs partied atop floats.
Holic Sunwoo Yang, chair of the Seoul Queer Culture Festival’s organizing committee, anticipated deliberations over this year’s permit. But she didn’t think it would go as far as a rejection, with the venue instead handed over to a conservative Christian group looking to host a youth concert.
“The initial reaction was shock,” Yang said. “But our baseline mind-set was that we will host the parade anywhere we can, regardless of blockages.”
And so they did, getting permission to move the event into the Euljiro neighborhood of downtown Seoul, where drag queen Manura strutted past booths handing out Pride-themed fans. “Bloom, Queer Nation!” they shouted, the theme of this year’s event, which the organizers said was attended by 150,000 people…
In socially conservative South Korea, homosexuality remains taboo, and same-sex unions are not legally recognized. In a recent Pew Research Center survey, 59 percent of South Koreans said they opposed same-sex marriage — the second-highest rate of opposition among Group of 20 countries surveyed, behind Indonesia. A bill seeking anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people has failed to gain traction here…
Na-Young Lee, who teaches sociology at Chung-Ang University and specializes in women’s rights, said while the visibility that comes with LGBTQ+ people occupying a public space has led to repression from authorities, “the pushback is not entirely a negative thing in that it validates their existence.”
“The media begin to pay closer attention, and it provides activists an opportunity to reassess the direction of their messaging,” she said. “We see that this dynamic created by suppression and resistance has, in a way, played a role in continuing to further advance LGBT rights.”
Here are some voices from Pride in Seoul: some deeply involved in the celebrations, some whose contributions took other forms, each one a part of the city’s multifaceted LGBTQ+ community…
Hear me now, thank me later: Read the whole thing!