This March 27, 2021, file photo shows a person holding a rainbow umbrella during an event calling for recognition of South Korea’s transgender population in central Seoul. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, June 27 (Korea Bizwire) — The state human rights watchdog has ruled that universities refusing to allow advertisements on campus for small LGBTQ groups is an act of discrimination.
A college student from Gyeonggi Province submitted a petition to the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) in April last year after their university refused to display an advertisement for an LGBTQ student club, which aimed to recruit members.
The university justified their refusal by stating that the group had not assigned a supervising professor and that the advertisement lacked names and contact information.
However, the NHRCK determined that the university violated the student’s right to equality by perpetuating stereotypes and discriminatory attitudes towards sexual minorities.
According to the NHRCK, out of the five groups permitted to advertise on campus last year, only one had been assigned a supervising professor.
The university’s demand for the student’s private information could potentially expose them to the risk of involuntary disclosure of their sexual orientation, leading to potential hate crimes and discrimination.
Furthermore, the NHRCK stated that imposing stricter requirements without considering the sensitive circumstances faced by sexual minorities amounts to unjustifiable discrimination.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
