The main session of the 16th Queer Forum, which took place over two days from February 17th to 18th, 2024, covered topics on surgical and non-surgical gender-affirmation treatments, as well as the marriage equality movement. This year's main session was also a vibrant attempt to continue the discourse on current issues facing the LGBTQ+ rights movement in Korea.
English Translation: 피웊
Translation review: Juyeon, 지니
Writer of the original text: 권태
Review and amendments to the original text: Miguel, 희중
Web & SNS Posting: 에스텔
News Card Design: 가리
The “Queer Forum” hosted annually since 2008 by the “Rainbow Action Against Sexual-Minority Discrimination” (hereafter Rainbow Action), consists of research sessions, general sessions, and main sessions. The planning team for the Queer Forum includes activists who are at the forefront of the LGBTQ+ rights movement in Korea, and Rainbow Action comprises a total of 44 human rights organizations and groups.
What topics were discussed at this year's Queer Forum?
In the main session of the 16th Queer Forum, held over two days from February 17th to 18th, 2024, discussions focused on surgical and non-surgical transgender treatments, as well as the marriage equality movement. In recent years in Korea, there has been increased visibility of transgender rights in both legal domains, such as the approval of gender affirmation for transgender individuals with minor children, and cultural domains, with Pungja, a transgender celebrity, winning the Rookie Award in the female category. Currently, Rainbow Action and Marriage Equality Coalition are actively campaigning for marriage equality under the campaign name “Marriage for All.” In this context, this year's main session of the Queer Forum reflects the current state of the LGBTQ+ rights movement in Korea and continues the discourse in that format.
What was discussed at past LGBTQ+ Rights Forums?
The intertwining of the LGBTQ+ rights movement and research trends in Korea at the LGBTQ+ Rights Forum is not only a phenomenon of 2024. For example, the 2023 LGBTQ+ Rights Forum, under the name "Queer, Movement, Justice," expressed a desire to continue the field of human rights movements and discussed climate justice and LGBTQ+ together. This was seen as a result of capturing the trend of expanding discussions on the climate crisis in Korean society, to the extent that a Special Committee on Climate Crisis was established in the National Assembly.
So, community!
Over the years, the Queer Forum has explored the potential of movement through community. This year, planning sessions by 'Chingusai, Korean Gay Human Rights Group' and 'Daum, Sustainable Movement Towards Diversity' discussed the phenomenon where the queer community and human rights movements support each other. Meanwhile, the Human Rights Commission for Sexual Minorities at Hanyang University showcased stories of student activists from various universities who are advancing LGBTQ+ rights movements through student councils, in a generation where the end of student movements is being discussed. These student councils play a dual role as a community and as an agent for human rights issues within the student society, sharing and understanding the changes and momentum they create within universities.
Who was involved in the research sessions?
This year's research session was divided into two tracks: one on the trends in Korean LGBTQ+ studies and the other on current transgender research. Notably, the 'Junior Scholars Network of LGBTIQ Research' played a significant role. Junior Scholars Network of LGBTIQ Research, a group of graduate students and researchers from various fields interested in LGBTQ+ studies, not only conducts monthly seminars and workshops but also facilitates meetings between graduate students, researchers, activists, and the public at the Queer Forum. It is good news for those interested in LGBTQ+ studies in Korea that an archive of LGBTQ+ research will be made public on the LGBTQ+ Net website within the year.
"Queer Breaks Through the Darkness"
Korean society is currently facing numerous crises, and the LGBTQ+ rights movement is no exception. There are movements nationwide to repeal student human rights ordinances that include provisions prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. In the education curriculum, the existence of LGBTQ+ individuals is being erased, and there is a lack of sanctions against politicians' LGBTQ+ phobic remarks. Instead, the political sphere continues to cooperate with LGBTQ+ phobic forces, among other issues. Despite these circumstances, the Queer Forum continues to strive for the advancement of LGBTQ+ rights through activism, academia, and public engagement. We ask for your keen interest in the Queer Forum, which fights for LGBTQ+ rights even in such challenging situations.
If you want to receive news about the Queer Forum, which is held around this time every year, you can follow us on the following social media platforms (in Korean):
English Translation: 피웊
Translation review: Juyeon, 지니
Writer of the original text: 권태
Review and amendments to the original text: Miguel, 희중
Web & SNS Posting: 에스텔
News Card Design: 가리
References (available in Korean)
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