LGBTQ+ couples share stories of love, exclusion, empowerment at documentary screening

On Nov. 4, a screening event for the LGBTQ+ rights documentary "Limited Partnership" (2014) was held at CGV Myeongdong Cine Library as part of the 2023 Seoul International Pride Film Festival that took place from Nov. 2 to 8 at the theater.

The host and guest panels of the ″Limited Partnership″ screening event discuss same-sex marriage at CGV Myeongdong Cine Library in Jung District, central Seoul, on Nov. 4. This event is co-hosted by Amnesty International Korea and the Seoul International Pride Film Festival. From left: the event's host from Amnesty International, Kim Ji-rim, a human rights lawyer, YouTubers Kim, Backpack, Park Cho-yeon and Kim Eun-ha. [AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL KOREA]

Korea has a long way to go in terms of same-sex marriage, and some experts even say the country's stance on the matter is similar to that of 1970s America. However, there are still many in the LGBTQ+ community and allies fighting for legal recognition of same-sex marriage.

On Nov. 4, a screening event for the LGBTQ+ rights documentary "Limited Partnership" (2014) was held at CGV Myeongdong Cine Library as part of the 2023 Seoul International Pride Film Festival that took place from Nov. 2 to 8 at the theater.

During the event, moviegoers and guest panels who were there to provide commentary shouted, "Just marriage," in support of the legalization of same-sex marriage in Korea.

"Just Marriage" is a slogan for the same-sex marriage legalization campaign by Amnesty International Korea, and the screening attendees held signs with the slogan during the event.

The utterly bittersweet 2014 documentary records the third-year-long love and legal struggle of Tony Sullivan and Richard Adams, the first same-sex couple in the United States to claim immigration rights as a same-sex couple. Adams, a Filipino American, meets and falls in love with Sullivan, an Australian traveling in the U.S.

Tony and Richard were married by a county clerk in March 1975 in Boulder, Colorado.

In addition to showing their love story, the documentary also charted the history of the LGBTQ+ rights movement in the U.S. from the 1970s.

The couple applied for Sullivan's marriage green card after their marriage, but the U.S. Immigration Naturalization Service, now the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, refused to acknowledge the validity of the couple's marital status.

The refusal letter the couple received contained the word "faggot," a homophobic slur.

The letter said, "You have failed to establish that a bona fide marital relationship can exist between two faggots."

This led to public outcry and protest, and the couple sued the U.S. government agency, which resulted in a landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Adams v. Howerton, where the court ruled the word "spouse" in U.S. immigration law refers to an opposite-sex partner.

The guest panel event that came after the screening discussed the current landscape of marriage laws in Korea. The guest panels, comprising a human rights attorney and two openly same-sex couples, talked about same-sex marriage in Korea from both legal and personal perspectives.

Kim Ji-rim, a human rights lawyer from the GongGam Human Rights Law Foundation, said LGBTQ+ rights in Korea so far could be compared to those of the U.S. in the 1970s when Tony and Richard were fighting for recognition of their marriage in the eyes of immigration officials.

The year 2023 saw wins and losses in the battle for LGBTQ+ rights in Korea. One such win was a court decision in February that ruled same-sex partners can be registered as a dependent for national health insurance benefits.

On the other hand, there was a Constitutional Court ruling in October that found the Korean military's penal code against homosexuality constitutional.

Lawyer Kim asked the audience members at the event if they knew how many welfare benefits and systems same-sex couples cannot access in Korea.

The two couples, who are also influencers and attended the event as panelists, shared their experiences of being excluded from such benefits.

The couples were a gay couple who asked to be referred to as Kim and Backpack, who are also running a YouTube channel, Couple Mango, and a lesbian couple, Kim Eun-ha and Park Cho-yeon, who started their YouTube channel Eunchobee this year.

The guest panels of the ″Limited Partnership″ screening event pose for a photo at CGV Myeongdong Cine Library in Jung District, central Seoul, on Nov. 4. This event is co-hosted by Amnesty International Korea and the Seoul International Pride Film Festival. From left: YouTubers Kim Eun-ha, Park Cho-yeon, Kim, Backpack and Kim Ji-rim, a human rights lawyer. [AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL KOREA]

"Because there isn't a legal framework for such benefits in Korean society, it's challenging to immediately implement those welfare benefits," Backpack's partner Kim said. "Instead, [my partner] has been advocating for anti-discrimination measures first."

Agreeing with him, Kim Eun-ha and Park talked about instances of being excluded from government benefits for newlyweds, such as government-subsidized housing loans.

"To be honest, it seems like there's an endless list of [the benefits we couldn't claim]," they said, "from phone bill discounts to health insurance."

They added they decided to hold property separately because they couldn't be legally recognized as a family.

The event also touched on stories of romance and solidarity. The YouTuber couples shared memories of their relationship and heartfelt moments of their marriage.

For Backpack, it was when he attended his brother's wedding with his partner.

"Despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, [my sister-in-law] willingly contacted us [before the wedding], saying she would coordinate matching suits for us. It was quite touching."

Backpack added, "Even though it might have felt a bit awkward since not everyone there knew each other, [my] mother told my brother to hurry and join the family photo.

"It made me feel really happy."

Kim Eun-ha shared stories of her returning home for the Chuseok holidays.

"I've always wanted to make that trip with my own family, driving together," she said. "I used to go with my friends, but more recently, since many of my friends have been getting married, I just go alone."

Although it takes four hours to drive from Seoul to Busan, her and Park's hometown, the trip doesn't feel long when Kim Eun-ha is with her partner.

"The thought of just driving [to Busan] feels so exciting. Stopping by rest areas, grabbing something to eat and reaching our destination," she added.

"There's this feeling of arriving [home] for a holiday. It's so fulfilling."

She emphasized that she goes through the same events and experiences the same feelings as any other married couple.

"Although our marriage is not legally recognized, we plan to have a wedding ceremony. So, in a way, it's all very similar."

The panelists also talked about the importance of media in advocating for LGBTQ+ rights.

Park said, "When [my partner and I] read the comments [on our videos], we see a lot of different subscribers, including teenagers [who say] they don't know how to tell their family [of their sexual orientation] and that their friends tease them.

"But they say our YouTube channel gives them comfort," Park added. "Some commenters express their admiration, saying they hope they could [grow up to live] like us."

"I've come to realize that [expressing myself] can have a significant impact on someone, and the influence of media is more substantial than I initially thought."

Backpack, speaking broadly about the LGBTQ+ rights movement in Korea, said that it is "important for us to remind ourselves and each other that until we reach our goal, we need to keep talking about it."

He added, "We should encourage each other, saying this time is different, that we've done a bit better.

"We need to continue supporting each other until the end ... by nurturing this mindset, we might be able to make it all the way."

Amnesty International, the event's organizer, is an international nonprofit organization that advocates for human rights, freedom of expression, protection of LGBTQ+ rights and gender equality.

Co-hosting this event with the Korean branch of the nonprofit, the Seoul International Pride Film Festival, dating back to 2011, is a part of the Asia Pacific Queer Film Festival Alliance, which aims to enhance the visibility of Asia-Pacific LGBTQ+ cinema for the public.

This article reflects the reporter's opinions and may differ from the views of Amnesty International.

BY STUDENT REPORTER LEE YE-JIN [kjd.kcampus@joongang.co.kr]