[News Terms] US Human Rights Report on 'LGBTQI+' Abused in Korea

'LGBTQI+' is a term referring to sexual minorities. Originally, the word 'LGBT'?derived from the first letters of Lesbian (female homosexual), Gay (male homosexual), Bisexual, and Transgender?was used to describe sexual minorities.

Recently, the term 'LGBTQI' has been used, which includes 'Q' (Queer, Questioner, Questionary), referring to people who have not yet established their gender identity and are questioning themselves, and 'I' (Intersex), referring to genders that do not fit into the male-female binary.

Last June, officials from the Seoul Queer Culture Festival Organizing Committee held a press conference condemning the Seoul city administration regarding the usage report of Seoul Plaza in front of Seoul City Hall.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

However, besides 'LGBTQI', there are other terms that describe sexual characteristics. For example, Asexual, Pansexual, and Agender are not included. Therefore, to encompass all of these, the term 'LGBTQI+' is used, with the '+' indicating inclusion of all sexual minorities.

In October last year, a protest against the '5th Incheon Queer Culture Festival' was held at the entrance of Jungang Park in Guwol-dong, Namdong-gu, Incheon.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

On the 21st (local time), the U.S. Department of State released the '2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices' on its website, and the 'South Korea section' described that sexual minorities in Korea are vulnerably exposed to violence in society and are subjected to abuse in the military.

In the section titled 'Violence against LGBTQI+ Persons,' the report stated, "(The Korean) government generally investigated and prosecuted individuals involved in violence against sexual minorities," while noting that "NGOs reported that sexual minorities receive inadequate legal protection from violence, and that military commanders physically abused and isolated sexual minorities within the military."