Lawmakers in South Korea have introduced legislation that would extend the right to marry to same-sex couples. This important legislation would finally enshrine the rights of same-sex couples in the country.
The bill would amend the gendered definition of marriage in the country’s civil code, allowing same-sex couples to marry and extending them the same rights and benefits afforded to heterosexual married couples. Meanwhile, the National Assembly is also considering legislation that would create civil partnerships as an alternative to marriage for both same-sex couples and heterosexual couples.
In the absence of partnership recognition, same-sex couples in South Korea are particularly vulnerable to discrimination and rights violations, including discrimination in taxation, inheritance, and family law.
Earlier this year, South Korea’s High Court ruled that denying health insurance benefits to same-sex couples that were provided to heterosexual couples constituted discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
South Korea also lacks general legal protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. While comprehensive antidiscrimination legislation is widely popular in South Korea, it has been stymied by legislative inaction and opposition from a small but vocal segment of the population.
Get updates on human rights issues from around the globe. Join our movement today. Have it sent to your inbox. The marriage equality bill comes as lawmakers in other countries in the region are considering more protections for same-sex couples. In 2019, Taiwan became the first country in Asia to legalize marriage equality. Lawmakers in Japan, the Philippines, and Thailand are considering proposals to legally recognize marriages or civil unions for same-sex couples.
There is growing consensus among human rights bodies that states must offer some form of recognition for same-sex relationships to protect their rights. The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has said that, “States have a positive obligation to provide legal recognition to couples, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics, as well as to their children,” and to ensure that benefits traditionally offered to heterosexual married couples are extended without discrimination.
South Korea’s National Assembly should embrace this opportunity to protect the rights of same-sex couples and enact the marriage equality bill into law.
The Sonoma County Library programing includes: Drag Story Hours, LGBTQI Teen Groups and activities, Here + Queer the Sonoma County LGBTQI Archives.
At Wednesday’s library commission meeting, more than a dozen vocal detractors made public comments, displayed signs, and stated that they intend to protest at our libraries, on story days and at other times. Here is a link to the recording of that meeting.
U.S. Mail – Written comments may be submitted via U.S. mail to ATTN: Commission Comments, 6135 State Farm Drive, Rohnert Park, CA 94928. It is advised you consider normal delays in mail delivery when sending your written comment via U.S. mail.
Orally, Live – Oral comments may be given during their monthly meeting.
A group called “Sonoma County Parents Stand Up for Kids” plans to “peacefully protest” at the Petaluma Regional Library this Saturday (June 10) at 10 am.
The Library has requested that “If you want to take part in a peaceful, thoughtful and non-violent response to this group, that you model respectful civil behavior and discourse. Disruptive or violent behavior is unacceptable, and we appreciate your commitment to this value.”
An upcoming government report on homophobia in the U.K. armed forces will show a climate of blatant homophobia, incidents of blackmail and sexual assaults, and a campaign of drugs and electric shock treatment to “cure” LGBTQ+ service members of their homosexuality.
The report, which covers 1967 to 2000, when the country’s ban on LGBTQ+ service members ended, is set for release next month and an advance copy was seen by Bloomberg. Commissioned last year by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the report contains over a thousand anonymous submissions from individuals who served in the U.K. military between 1967 to 2000. Terence Etherton, the independent or crossbench member of the House of Lords who led the investigation, said many service members were left “severely traumatized” by their experienced.
The accounts from former service members “paint a vivid picture of overt homophobia at all levels of the armed forces…and of the bullying that inevitability reflected it,” Etherton said.
Many veterans said they were told they had to take medication and undergo psychiatric treatment to remain in the military. One person said his treatment took place while he was seated on a toilet and the medical staff questioning him were drinking beer. Another said they had electrodes placed on their head and received electric shocks when shown naked pictures.
“I had some type of bruising/burn marks where they put the electrodes,” the unnamed person revealed in the report.
Other accounts reportedly detail how LGBTQ+ service members were singled out for abuse. One female veteran said she was assaulted by two male service members, then placed in a psychiatric ward and later discharged when she complained. Another said her superior threatened to have her discharged for being gay if she reported his attempt at raping her. Others reported being followed by military police, having military police show up at local gay bars.
A bookstore in Vermont is fighting back against calls to limit LGBTQ+ literature for young readers by hosting its first-ever Pride Readathon to raise funds for a summer camp for LGBTQ+ kids.
Bear Pond Books in Montpelier will be hosting a Pride Readathon the entire month of June where participants will raise funds for every LGBTQ+ book they read. Bear Pond Books has a goal of raising $40,000 to support Outright Vermont’s Camp Outright, a summer camp that lets LGBTQ+ kids be themselves while taking part in a typical group camp experience. A private donor has offered to match the funds raised up to $20,000 in the Pride Readathon. It’s also possible to simply donate in lieu of participating in the event.
Jess Turner of Bear Pond Books told local NBC affiliate WPTZ that readers will be able to create their own online public profile showing the books on their reading list as well as tracking their reading progress and the donations they’ve raised to date. So far, the bookstore has raised $1,580 of its $40,000 goal.
Turner said another goal of the Pride Readathon is to get folks to read books by LGBTQ+ authors or that include LGBTQ+ characters or themes.
“There’s no rule, you pick whatever number of books you want to read and you read whatever you want, as long as it celebrates an LGBTQ+ author’s voice,” Turner said. “So, graphic novels, memoirs, novels, fiction, nonfiction, fantasy, all the genres within that, anything goes.”
Books have been targeted across the country for having queer or racial elements to them.
Camp Outright bills itself as a camp with a twist, providing a safe and affirming traditional summer camp environment for LGBTQ+ youth. Outright Vermont and the Common Ground Center are teaming up to offer two six-day, five-night residential camps for queer, trans, questioning, and allied youth between the ages of 13 and 17. Straight allies are welcome to attend as well.
“Probably the most positive experience I’ve had in my life was being at Camp,” one former camper was quoted on the Camp Outright website. “It was easy to just be there and exist, which we often can’t do at home or school. You can just go to camp and be gay and make friends, and that’s very nice.”
You can learn more about the Pride Readathon through the month of June at the Bear Bond Bookstore, including how to participate or donate, on their website (www.bearpondbook.com) or Outright Vermont (outrighttvt.com).
Seminole County Public Schools is offering to reprint this year’s Lyman High School yearbook and remove two pages for parents upset about LGBTQ+ content, prompting criticism that the district isn’t standing up to bigotry. The pages highlight the school’s LGBTQ+ community and provide definitions of terms such as genderfluid and pansexual. A few parents and students found those pages “inappropriate,” and now the district is offering refunds or reprinted yearbooks with the pages in question removed.
Jessica Tillmann, chapter chair of the Seminole County Moms for Liberty, said she is concerned about the definitions in the yearbook because she thinks they are teaching children about sex outside the state-approved standards that parents can choose to opt their children out of. “They shouldn’t have any sexual definitions in a yearbook,” she said. “This is a yearbook that goes to every student as young as 14.”
Sharmon Craft [screenshot above] was among the parents who believe the page is inappropriate. “This gender ideology crap has parents in an uproar because it’s disgusting and wrong for an adult to sexualize a minor,” Craft said on Facebook.
“The district superintendent is ordering the school to give full refunds or have the books reprinted without the glossary of perverse sexual attractions and pronouns.” District officials said they have received four complaints from parents so far.
Danielle Pomeranz, the high school’s former yearbook advisor, argued against the decision. “We think that it’s important that our book remains inclusive and represents all of the students at Lyman High School,” Pomeranz said.
Windsor Pride festival will take place Saturday, June 10, 2 – 8 PM at Windsor Town Green.
The Music Festival will feature: School of Rock House Band of Santa Ros, Fleetwood Macramé, DJ LadyChar
…and the We Are Family Dragstravaganza featuring: Elsa Touché, Cocoa Buttah, Linda Summers
Street Fair – Where your favorite carnival meets Sonoma County’s best artisans, food trucks, and a sprinkling of the Love Wins in Windsor fairy dust, get ready for the Windsor Pride Festival STREET FAIR!
Limited-Edition T-shirts, Tanks, Totes + Hats. Locally-Made Jewelry, Soaps + Crafts Sonoma Community Nonprofits Love Wins Winegarten (a local premium tasting flight experience)
Also: Love Recommitment Ceremonies with Pastor Mary; Affirmation Station; Charlie Brown Christmas Tree Grove Information
Elsa Touche spoke with GaySonoma about her upcoming performance.
Gary Carnivele: Can you remember seeing your first drag performance and the impact it made on you?
Elsa Touche: I can’t really remember my first ever. I can say that I was a kid in the 1980s and that was such a great era of gender-bending and androgyny, as far as musical performers. Boy George, Annie Lennox, Prince … all the makeup bands from England, like Duran Duran. From where I was back then, you know, growing up queer in the sticks, these performers were really a beacon for me. MTV gave me proof that somewhere in the world there was a place for me!
And I can remember my early days in San Francisco and how entranced I was with that kind of punk rock drag expression that was fostered at T-Shack (RIP Heklina). Always unexpected and bold and thrilling. Really changing the definition of what drag could be.
GC: What did it mean to you to be named “Favorite Drag Queen” by SF Weekly in 2020?
ET: That was a real surprise and I’m not sure how I got that honor, at all. I’m not even my own favorite drag queen, and there are a lot of performers in SF who I’d think would earn that distinction before I would! But this was during the pandemic, and I was doing a lot of online shows then, and making online content in the form of my “Stir Crazy” parody cooking show. I was also grateful to be involved in the Oasis Nightclub’s “Meals on Heels” drag food delivery service — a drag queen would bring your food order and do a mini-show on the sidewalk in front of your house. So I was very visible during this time; maybe that’s why.
Anyway, it was an honor, for sure. And if I’m anyone’s favorite anything, I’m grateful. I’m just happy to have the opportunity to pursue my passion for drag!
GC: Tell us all about “The Monster Show.”
ET: The Monster Show is the Castro District’s longest-running drag show — 19 years strong. It was founded by the legendary San Francisco drag queen Cookie Dough, who passed away several years ago. Thanks to subsequent show hosts and our show producer, Otter, we’ve kepe her legacy alive: We’re proud to be San Francisco’s “most ridiculous” drag show, every Thursday night at the Edge Bar in San Francisco! We’re proud to be a show that embraces all flavors of drag and encourages experimentation, and a place where newer performers are welcome. I got my own start at the Monster Show … and I’ve been one of the co-hosts for about five years now, and I’m very proud to be part of this San Francisco drag tradition.
GC: Your Drag-Theatrical Productions are legendary. Which were your favorites?
ET: On my own and as a member of Fraudway Productions, I’ve produced and co-produced a few shows I love. One of my favorite productions was “Without You I’m Nothing” — a tribute to the movie of the same name and its creator Sandra Bernhard. Kind of a niche production, but I loved it! Fraudway’s “Harriet Poofter” series has proved very popular as well. I feel like this show is important because it takes the Harry Potter characters that many queer people grew up loving … and puts them in a queer context that celebrates trans people and “claps back” at the series’ creator’s transphobic rhetoric. All of the shows I work on are highly collaborative, and everyone is involved in making the final product — I love working with drag performers because they’re so creative, and just in the process of making the show everyone contributes so many good ideas.
GC: Are you working on something now?
ET: I’m thinking of a new show for 2024 — it’s not something I can talk about yet. But I’m very excited about it!
GC: Where was the toughest crowd you ever encountered and how did you worm your way into their hearts?
ET: Several years ago I was booked for a show at a bar that was also showing a World Series game that the Giants were in, on the TV, and most people were definitely there to watch the game, not to see a drag show. I don’t know that I successfully wormed my way into their hearts! I remember this as a very difficult show because people literally had their backs to me because they were trying to watch TV. But whenever I perform, I’m aware that not everyone will enjoy what I’m doing. I’m performing for those who are willing to join me in this act of creation. In this case, I found the couple of people that were engaged and gave them my all.
GC: What’s your super-secret make-up magic trick?
ET: My makeup tricks, such as they are, don’t carry into the real world, because a lot of what I use is sort of industrial-strength theater makeup, not meant for everyday use — and I’m going for “clown” more than “beauty” really. My super-secret drag makeup trick is three layers of foundation … and if you mess something up, put some glitter on it.
GC: What do you have planned appearance at Windsor Pride?
ET: I’m really looking forward to a great weekend! Along with my fabulous colleagues Coco Buttah and Linda Summers, we have drag shows on Saturday and Sunday, plus games and other events! It’s been such fun planning these shows and I can’t wait to see everyone in Sonoma! I love Sonoma County!
GC: It’s been a tough year for the LGBTQI+ Community, especially Trans Folks and Drag Performers. WFT??
ET: nAll these attempts to prohibit drag shows are just a part of the massive effort we’re seeing to criminalize ‘transness — trans and gender nonconforming people are so under attack right now in our country, and they should be the focus of our efforts at protection and support right now. And there are many organizations we can support, like the National Center for Transgender Equality and Transgender Law Center. ‘
I agree: WTF, indeed! But, yes, it looks like a calculated effort on the part of many politicians to prey on and endanger this very vulnerable segment of society in order to rouse the ugly feelings — hate and fear — in a small subset of Americans. It’s a campaign of bigotry and misinformation. It’s dangerous. It’s deadly. And we mustn’t sit quietly by.
GC: Drag Performers are always political – that’s what we love about them and their art. How do you keep it real and clever?
ET: These days, just being a drag queen is a political act. And expressing queer joy and making queer art are both inherently political as well. Keeping it real and clever is, for me, about keeping it current and personal.
GC: What are your tips for having an EPIC Pride?
ET: Drink lots of water. Bring sunscreen. Dance. Wear something that makes a statement. Smile at strangers.
Wednesday, June 14 6:00–9:00 p.m. PDT The Academy 2166 Market St. San Francisco $40 | Sliding Scale
Drag Story Hour comes to The Academy, in partnership with the GLBT Historical Society! This fabulous fundraiser and cocktail reception supports these two incredible organizations. Join us, and stand up to help protect LGBTQ+ rights, and our community’s shared history.
Complimentary donated appetizers will be available and cocktails, beer and wine will be available for sale (cash or card accepted). The Academy venue has an accessible entrance and restroom facilities.
Lawmakers celebrated drag nun Sister Roma and declared June LGBTQ+ Pride Month at the California Capitol.
As part of an official resolution proclaiming it Pride month, the legislature’s LGBTQ Caucus invited Roma, a San Francisco Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence member. Additionally, out tennis legend Billie Jean King and out filmmaker and internet personality Eugene Lee Yang were among others honored.
Sister Roma was invited to the state capitol by San Francisco’s gay state Sen. Scott Wiener, The Sacramento Beereports.
Several Republican senators called on the Senate’s President pro Tempore, Toni Atkins, to revoke Roma’s invitation last Thursday.
On Monday afternoon, some Catholics and evangelical Christians protested at the Capitol’s west steps against the recognition of Roma. Republican members retired to the lounge behind the chamber as Roma approached the podium.
However, standing ovations filled the room as the rest of the members cheered, applauded, and clapped.
“Love you, Roma! ” cried fellow honoree Harry Lit, eliciting cheers from the gallery and floor. While outside the chamber, Roma was greeted by supporters giving her high fives, shaking her hand, and taking photos.
“I was very emotional,” she said after receiving her award.
“I came this close to crying,” she added, “and if this makeup runs, I’m done.”
Wiener stated before the event that he would be surprised if Republican colleagues disrupted the ceremony.
“I think my Republican colleagues are caricaturing her,” Wiener conveyed to The Bee, “and if they really took the time to get to know her, they’d understand why I nominated her for this honor.”
The Sisters describe themselves as “a leading-edge Order of queer and trans nuns” employing “humor and irreverent wit to expose the forces of bigotry, complacency and guilt that chain the human spirit.”
In both the Assembly and Senate, the resolutions were approved without opposition.
The dispute over Roma’s invitation follows the L.A. Dodgers’ withdrawal of an invitation to the Los Angeles order of the Sisters last month, sparked by conservative complaints. Within a few days, the team re-invited the group after receiving backlash from protestors. Drag performances have been banned outright in several conservative-controlled states following a nationwide Republican campaign to restrict them.
Former vice president and 2024 presidential candidate Mike Pense criticized the Dodgers for acknowledging the Sisters.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union, 491 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in GOP-controlled legislatures across the country — 63 of them have already become law.
Three people were arrested Tuesday at protests held outside a meeting of the Glendale Unified School District board, where pro-and anti-LGBTQ+ demonstrators faced off over how schools teach gender and sexuality.
Law enforcement declared an unlawful assembly after fighting broke out outside the building, officials said. The situation temporarily disrupted the meeting, which was about an hour into public comments on an agenda item calling for recognition of June as Pride Month — which board members unanimously approved late in the evening.
Earlier in the day, hundreds of protesters had swarmed outside the building, some waving American flags and others waving Pride flags, with many documenting the scene with their smartphones. Those who were protesting the board’s LGBTQ+ policies chanted, “Leave our kids alone” while naming each of the five members of the board.
Large barricades set up by Glendale Police to control crowds were seen containing hundreds of demonstrators outside of the Glendale Unified School District headquarters.
A dispersal order was issued around 6:15 p.m. as police were heard using a loudspeaker to order the crowds’ removal, declaring an unlawful assembly. A large barricade was placed in the middle of the parking lot, separating the two contentious groups.
While most of the protest remained peaceful, police said a “small group of individuals engaged in behavior deemed unsafe and a risk to public safety.” Officers were also heard saying they would not hesitate to use a chemical agent against the crowds.
Footage from AIR7 HD captured the chaos as punches were thrown in the parking lot. After the skirmishes, police in riot gear kept pro-LGBTQ+ protesters and conservative groups separated. Three people were arrested for various charges, including allegedly using pepper spray and obstructing officers, according to the Glendale Police Department. Close to 500 people showed up at the protest at GUSD headquarters.
“While most of the protest was peaceful, a small group of individuals engaged in behavior deemed unsafe and a risk to public safety,” police said in a statement. A dispersal order was given just after 6 p.m. and additional police resources were requested “to ensure the safety of the Glendale community would not be compromised.” Board members later unanimously adopted the resolution to declare June as Pride Month.
The Human Rights Campaign declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ people in the U.S. on Tuesday and a released “a guidebook for action” summarizing what it calls discriminatory laws in each state, along with “know your rights” information and health and safety resources.
Sounding the alarm about the current political environment, the nation’s largest organization devoted to the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Americans said advisories warning against travel to dangerous places aren’t enough to help people already living in so-called hostile states.
The campaign said it’s taking action in response to an unprecedented and dangerous spike in discriminatory legislation sweeping state houses this year, with more than 525 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced and more than 70 signed into law so far in 2023 — more than double last year’s number. In a report released Tuesday called “LGBTQ+ Americans Under Attack,” it says the new laws are a result of coordinated Republican efforts, supported by “well-funded extremist groups.”
The “LGBTQ+ Americans Fight Back” guidebook, meanwhile, also provides information about filing complaints for violations of civil rights and points to resources for financing moves and finding employment in what it calls “safer” states.
In a section called Know the Enemy/Opposition, the guidebook offers tips on how to engage in local advocacy opposing anti-LGBTQ efforts and how to navigate tough conversations about hate with friends and family.
The guidebook aims to help millions of vulnerable people, “whether they’re planning summer travel through regions that are becoming increasingly hostile to LGBTQ+ people, or whether they already live in a state where legislative assaults and political extremism are continuing to put a target on our backs,” Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement.
The emergency declaration is the first in the 40-year history of the HRC, and comes as Republican-dominated legislatures around the country have passed bills targeting people based on their identities, including laws restricting various aspects of transgender existence, from pronoun usage and bathroom access to medical care and more.
