A South Korean activist at Los Angeles Pride. The sign reads “Shall I say I love you?” – Photo: InSapphoWeTrust / Flickr
A petition to ban an annual gay pride festival in Seoul, South Korea, has received over 200,000 signatures.
The petition was started on Blue House, South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s official website, on June 14th. It has since garnered support from traditionalists and religious groups, who are calling for an end to the “abominable” three-day Queer Culture Festival taking place this weekend in Seoul Plaza.
The festival, currently in its 19th year, will include art exhibitions, a film festival and the Seoul Queer Parade on Saturday, July 14.
According to Britain’s Telegraph, the petition says that they are not advocating “discriminating against sexual minorities,” but that the Plaza should not host the festival because it belongs “to all citizens.”
“We do not want to see their abominable events in a square where we should be able to rest and relax,” it reads. “Every year, queer-themed events such as street performances, drinking and smoking are called ‘cultural festivals,’ but they are just occasions filled with illegal acts and hypocrisy.”
The petition added: “Homosexuals and normal people should not engage in such perverse and obscene events in a plaza that is meant to be a space for citizens to relax. True human rights are not indulgences.”
While homosexuality is not illegal in South Korea, traditional Korean society disapproves of LGBTQ people and relationships. Same-sex marriages are also not considered legitimate by the government and committing homosexual acts while active in the military is an offense that carries up to one year in prison.
More than 9 in 10 LGBTQ adults are out to someone in their lives about their sexual orientation or gender identity -- yet many remain closeted when it comes to family members or co-workers.
According to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in January, 96% of LGBTQ adults say they have told someone about their identity, while only 3% say they have not come out to anyone. However, up to one-third of LGBTQ adults -- including those who have come out to “someone” -- say they are not out to extended family members, such as grandparents, aunts and uncles, or cousins.
One Million Moms, the project of the anti-LGBTQ American Family Association known for railing against depictions of queer people, has a new target: NASCAR.
The group has launched a petition urging the racing organization to cancel an upcoming advertising campaign for the 2026 season, expected to air in February around the time of the Daytona 500, over its use of the slogan "Hell Yeah!"
Created by the Los Angeles agency 72andSunny, the ad aims to reintroduce fans to NASCAR’s brand and appeal to blue-collar audiences by emphasizing its "rebellious, Americana roots" while "satisfying its core fan base and reaching new audiences," according to Adweek.
In a historic but under-the-radar move, South Korea's Ministry of Data and Statistics has updated its digital registration system for the 2025 Population and Housing Census to recognize "spouse" or "cohabitating partner" as valid responses for same-sex households.
The change fixes a long-standing issue from previous censuses, when same-sex partners who selected "spouse" saw their answers flagged as errors -- forcing them to instead list themselves as "other cohabitants," according to Time magazine.
The system's failure to accept "spouse" from same-sex couples effectively erased them from the data, rendering LGBTQ households invisible to government agencies and civic organizations that rely on census information to allocate resources and funding.
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