New human rights commissioner has history of homophobia

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South Korea has appointed another chairman with decidedly anti-LGBT beliefs to the National Human Rights Commission of Korea.

I reported last year on the appointment of Pastor Choi E-woo, who faced calls of resignation due to his past inflammatory remarks in relation to LGBT individuals. Unfortunately, Pastor Choi, who continues in his role as a non-permanent executive board member, is now joined by the equally misinformed Lee Sung-ho. 

Commissioner Lee and Chairman Yang of the Commission of Churches in Korea
Newly appointed Commissioner Lee joined Pastor Choi for a meeting with the Commission of Churches in Korea (CCIK) to discuss the extent of a proposed anti-discrimination law on the 1st of the month. 

Chairman Yang of CCIK stated that "It cannot be acceptable for our society's healthy and ethical values to collapse through a so-called human rights reason." 

In response to whether or not homosexuals would be included in some sort of anti-discrimination laws, Human Rights Commissioner Lee stated "I will work to make sure the church has nothing to worry about". 

This isn't the first time Commissioner Lee has displayed his homophobic views in the public sphere.

In July, still a candidate for the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, Lee made headlines for telling a trans individual to submit pictures of their genitalia to the court. 

A trans woman filed for her sex to be legally changed in the Directory of Family Registration in 2013, and Lee, at the time head of the Seoul Southern District Court, demanded "At least two pictures of the genitalia that can demonstrate externally that you have become a woman." 

Of course, there is no precedence for demanding pictures of an individual's genitalia in order to have their sex legally changed in Korea. Rather, a number of documents are used as legal proof, such as a medical certificate provided by an expert doctor, or a doctor's documentation on the need for a sex re-assignment surgery. 

Unfortunately, this huge tell of Lee's incompetency for human rights as it concerns trans individuals did not effect his appointment to the Human Rights Commission. 

Without competent individuals who understand LGBT issues, human rights commissioners will continually stand in the way of an inclusive anti-discrimination law in South Korea.