Woman tricked homophobes to donate to Pride organisers
Writer Eun Ha-sun posted a number of Facebook that directed donations to the Seoul Queer Culture Festival. (Eun Ha-Sun/Facebook)
A South Korean writer has been fined for trolling homophobes that were attacking her pro-LGBT+ appearance on a TV show.
Feminist writer Eun Ha-sun took part in the Candid Men and Women show on South Korean channel Educational Broadcasting System (EBS) discussing sexual orientation and gender identity in December 2017, The Korea Herald reported.
Anti-LGBT religious viewers took issue with the programme and barraged Eun and others who appeared on the show with criticism.
“Dear children of God who oppose homosexuality. The producer’s contact number of ‘Candid Men and Women’ has been changed. Make sure to text to this number: #2540-6550.” (Eun Ha-Sun/Facebook)
The writer, who has often been outspoken in her support of LGBT+ issues, then decided to write a post on social media directing those who wanted to complain about the show to a phone number.
“Dear children of God who oppose homosexuality. The producer’s contact number of ‘Candid Men and Women’ has been changed. Make sure to text to this number: #2540-6550,” the post read.
Contrary to her claim, the number directed to donating the equivalent of £2 to the Seoul Queer Culture Festival, the group that organises the annual LGBT+ Pride event held in the South Korean capital.
“None of this would have happened had there not been hatred towards LGBT+ people.”
— Eun Ha-sun
Around 90 people unknowingly made the donations, but a court fined Eun for the equivalent of £1,375 at a ruling on Monday (November 19) as part of a religious group’s lawsuit against the writer.
Eun plans to appeal the verdict at a further court appearance scheduled for December 7, claiming that it was clear her post was a joke.
“It wouldn’t make sense for someone who had been on the show for a year to share a producer’s personal phone number or encourage people to text complaints,” she told The Herald.
She added that a simple online search would have shown that the number posted was the Seoul Queer Culture Festival’s donation number.
Participants pose for a photo before anti-gay slogans during a gay rights march in Seoul on July 15, 2017. (Ed Jones/AFP/Getty)
In a message on Facebook posted after the verdict on Monday, Eun thanked people who have shown support for her legal battle.
“None of this would have happened if there were no anti-LGBT hatred,” she wrote, sharing screenshots of the text messages homophobes sent to the number she had posted, complaining about the show discussing LGBT issues.
Homophobes protested the Seoul Queer Culture Festival earlier this year
A petition against the Seoul Queer Culture Festival, organised for the 19th time this year, gathered more than 200,000 signatures earlier this year in an attempt to stop the LGBT pride parade from taking place.
Homosexuality is not illegal in South Korea, but same-sex marriage and adoption are prohibited and protections against discrimination remain limited.
A ban on gay sex persists among the armed forces—and two years of military service is compulsory for men aged 18 to 35.
