Preparatory committee of Byun Hui-su Foundation to support living expenses for transgender youth

Preparatory committee officials of the Byun Hee-soo Foundation announce a plan to support emergency living expenses for transgender youth during a press conference at the Center for Military Human Rights Korea in Mapo-gu, Seoul on August 19. Reporter Han Soo-bin

The preparatory committee of the Byun Hui-su Foundation announced a detailed business plan on August 19 to provide emergency living expenses for transgender young people. It is the first support project of the preparatory committee, which was launched to commemorate Sergeant Byun and resolve discrimination against transgender people in the labor, education and medical fields.

“We will provide emergency living expenses of up to 3 million won per person for five transgender youth applicants,” the committee said at a press conference at the Center for Military Human Rights Korea in Mapo-gu, Seoul.

Jeong Min-seok, the co-chairman of the committee and the head of the LGBTQ Youth Crisis Support Center DDing Dong, explained the background of the support project, saying, "If Byun had been given the opportunity to start (social activities) again even after losing his rank in the military, I think he would have shown a different side now." He added, “In the more than three years since Byun's death, Korean society has seen a general regression in human rights, and I am worried that transgender people will become more isolated. I hope that the support project will help them overcome some of their difficulties.”

Lee Eun-sil, the head of the preparatory committee who was Byun's doctor, said she “hopes the project will serve as a springboard for transgender people's lives.” Lee, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Soonchunhyang University, said that transgender people she has seen as patients often face difficulties in medical, housing, and education due to lack of support at home or being kicked out of the workplace, and that the project would help protect the foundation of their lives.

The committee will support network meetings twice a year in which transgender people comfort and interact with each other. Lim Tae-hoon, head of the Military Human Rights Center, a co-representative of the preparatory committee, said, "Transgender parties are discriminated against among LGBTQ people and are virtually forced to secrete," adding, "We are trying to provide them with an opportunity to take a step forward into society."

Transgender people aged between 19 and 39 are eligible for support. The committee plans to select five to six people on October 4 after reviewing documents and interviews. On October 31 at 2 p.m., a briefing session will be held for applicants. Details are posted on the website of the Byun Hui-su Foundation.

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.