I posted earlier this week about the Comprehensive Plan for Student Human Rights and the conservative backlash that painted the plan as radical and a force that would inculcate kindergarteners in the homosexual agenda. 

I wanted to translate a more progressive view of the plan, posted by the more liberal Hankyoreh. The article, titled Is making a safe school for LGBTQ+ students really something to criticize? The article talks about how the plan would actually help protect LGBTQ+ students.

Is protecting LGBTQ+ students from discrimination really something that is going to spread homosexuality? When LGBTQ+ students are still driven to suicide due to the many stereotypes and discrimination they face, is it right to criticize the push to create schools that keep kids safe? 

From a video by Ddingdong (a group that supports LGBTQ+ youth). This is an image taken from their Youtube video titled "It get's better - because we have Ddingdong"

On the 19th, a Seoul elementary school teacher who has taught for 20 years, Mr. K, filed a petition on the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education's (SMOE) website with the title "Promoting the Comprehensive Plan for Student Human Rights and schools without hatred." Related to the activities of the "SAM: Teachers for Human Rights Education", Mr. K. stated that "During my regular monitoring of policies related to student human rights, I thought that the second draft included needed content, but seeing all of the loud complaints against it, I knew that there would also be so many more people who supported the plan so I filed the petition." Mr. K. emphasized his point, saying "Isn't this one of the first times a public education institution clarified 'protection and support for LGBTQ+ students" and that "the opposition voices cannot win - this content cannot be removed." 

The petition that Mr. K. filed has garnered more than 2,000 agreements, but in comparison the petition titled 'Against the Comprehensive Plan for Student Human Rights which will inculcate children as young as 3 on gender ideologies and biased ideas' has had more than 30,000 agreements which far surpassed the number needed to warrant a response from the superintendent. Groups like the Seoul Education Love Parent Association stated that the plan would 'strengthen compulsory homosexual education' and held a press conference in front of the office of education on the 14th. 

On the bulletin board for citizen petitions 27 cases have been posted in the last 10 days on the second draft of the Comprehensive Plan for Student Human Rights (2021-2023). The office of education collected responses on the second draft of the plan at the beginning of December directly at schools after drafting the three-year Comprehensive Plan for Student Human Rights, and discussions on the pros and cons of this plan have heated up. The office plans to hold a debate on the 26th of January (Seoul Students' Rights Day) and make a final draft of the plan by February. How will this final draft be completed? 

‘성소수자’를 말하지 못하는 교육청:An education office that can't say 'LGBTQ+'

Among the contentious points, one rises to the top: "protecting and supporting LGBTQ+ students". In this draft, among the five policy objectives, one is to preserve the rights to students' life through 'making schools without hatred and discrimination." Under this, the draft mentioned compulsory education for disabled student rights 2 times a year at all levels of schooling, the strengthening of student rights for children in multicultural families, and guaranteeing student athletes' rights among others.  Furthermore, under the title 'Protecting and Supporting LGBTQ+ students" is the inclusion of counseling support to LGBTQ+ students who face violence.  

The first established Comprehensive Plan for Student Rights (2018-2020) included content 'preventing discrimination and supporting minority students,' but it did not mention specific groups, such as disabled students or student athletes. For that reason, it was able to avoid controversy. Representatives of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education explained that "In reality, LGBTQ+ students exists at schools and when they demand help we cannot turn away. This time we are including content on supporting LGBTQ+ students; in the first plan some groups stated that this was 'AIDS-spreading education' and because of this 'the first plan ended up removing content around the protection of LGBTQ+ students due to these opposing voices, but for the second plan we are in the process of gathering opinions for how this content should be included". 

“매일같이 피해 상담 접수되는데…” We provide counseling for damage every day ... 

"At Ddingdong, we provide counseling for damage incurred at school day in and day out. Jokes such as 'you seem gay' or 'you look like a lesbian' are pervasive in the environment, cases of the threat of outing (where someone's sexuality is forcefully disclosed), bullying, and physical violence have not decreased in years . Distance learning as a result of the Corona pandemic has resulted in hearing more students saying things such as 'I don't get pestered because I don't go to school, which is fortunate.' Schools is a place where LGBTQ+ students have to endure pain day after day." 

The LGBTQ+ youth center Ddingdong issued a statement asking for support in including protection of LGBTQ+ students in the final draft. The secretary general of Ddingdong stated that describing the language of the bill as "compulsory homosexual education" rather than basic contents to "protect LGBTQ+ students from discrimination" is baseless fearmongering. The organization stated that it was saddening that these voices were not those of civil engagement but rather hate incitement.  

While the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education hesitates to include language on "protecting and supporting LGBTQ+ students," LGBTQ+ youth are in school experiencing hate speech and torment. The National Assembly's 2014 Survey on Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity found that 92% of surveyed youth between the age of 13 to 18 that identified as LGBTQ+ (a total of 200 people) were targets of homophobic language from other students. 80% of students had heard hate speech from teachers. 54% of students responded that they had experienced bullying, insults, and torment from other students. 

Parents of LGBTQ+ youth are also clamoring for LGBTQ+ protection and support to be included in the second comprehensive plan. A representative from the Heaven LGBTQ+ Parent Association stated "I hope that LGBTQ+ youth no longer die from the hatred and torment they face at their schools any longer. Please help the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education to guarantee minimum rights for students. These students struggling to survive are our children."