LGBTQ groups urge government to come up with suicide prevention measures for LGBTQ people

An activist of LGBTQ groups speaks during a press conference in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on September 10, which is World Suicide Prevention Day. Reporter Chung Hyo-jin

Lee Jong-gul, the director of Chingusai, the Korea Gay Human Rights Movement, shed tears at a press conference on September 10, saying, "I can't keep talking because I remember the sadness I felt due to the country that erases and excludes LGBTQ people and the faces of those who left first.” Yoo Seung-hee, the head of the corporate management team at Ddingdong, the LGBTQ support center for youth, said, "I remember my colleagues who left first amid discrimination and hatred. We miss them so much and want to call their names."

LGBTQ rights groups, including Rainbow Action Against Sexual Minority Discrimination, held a press conference in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the occasion of World Suicide Prevention Day and urged the government to come up with measures to prevent suicide of LGBTQ people.

They pointed out that LGBTQ people are not included in the government's suicide prevention measures.

Seon Ho-chan, the director of Ddingdong, said, "There have been a total of 242 suicide cases of LGBTQ youth in the nine years since the opening of Ddingdong, which is nearly 30 cases every year. The government has never conducted a national study, let alone a suicide prevention policy for us.”

They said LGBTQ people are becoming more isolated. Haru, an activist at the preparatory committee of the Byun Hui-su Foundation, said, “Discrimination, hatred, social stigmatization, and economic hardship are threatening us. The reality for minorities is that we have nowhere to turn to for ’help' in a precarious situation.”

There were also concerns and criticisms of Ahn Chang-ho, the new head of National Human Rights Commission. Mong, the co-director of South Korean Coalition for Anti-discrimination Legislation, said, “Ahn said, ‘Let's have a democratic discussion, come to a reasonable conclusion, and form our own opinion,' but LGBTQ people are definitely not included here. He is a person who incites anti-homosexuality and opposes the enactment of anti-discrimination laws."

They emphasized that it is the responsibility of the state to come up with suicide prevention measures that consider the characteristics of LGBTQ people.

Lee Jong-gul said, "The state should come forward to find out why LGBTQ youth suffer from suicidal thoughts, the transgender suicide rate is so high and why drug users have no choice but to choose suicide while struggling, and contemplate how to live together."

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