Korea’s First Lesbian University Student Council President Kim Bo Mi Wants A Society Free From Hatred and Discrimination
In a recent article published in The HuffingtonPost, a lesbian student council president at Seoul National University announced herself to the public. Coming out of the society where homosexuality or LGBT issues remained a taboo, she has become a subject of attention by many Koreans.
A 2014 survey conducted by the Asian Institute for Policy Studies in South Korea determined that while the tolerance and acceptance to LGBT issues substantially increased from 15.8 percent to 23.7 percent among South Koreans, still a significant number of respondents perceived LGBT issues with reservations.
On her speech during a campus campaign meeting November last year, Kim Bo Mi, the SNU council president, said she desired for the world where people can live confidently regardless of gender preferences and identity.
"I want this to be a world in which no one has to fit under a label of what is normal," Kim said. "That's why I am telling you. I'm a lesbian."
Her speech was published officially in Seoul National University's online newspaper, which gained substantial site traffic.
In an interview with The HuffingtonPost on December 23, Kim said her decision of coming out was a personal choice and was directed along with her party's campaign slogan "Moving As One Towards Diversity."
She mentioned that she wanted a society that is free from hatred, violence, and discrimination and "society in which you don't have to be uncomfortable or embarrassed about yourself or your differences."
Despite the reality where some people still despise the LGBT community and same-sex relationships, Kim said she remained grateful to the people who supported and encouraged her all the way.
"Your love and support fuel my conviction and faith in myself, for having one's words and actions deemed meaningful is paramount," she said.
Kim is a 23-year-old student taking up a consumer and child studies major in South Korea's most prominent university.