The late Sergeant Byeon Hee-soo was at the Military Rights Center in Nogosan-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul last year. <한겨레>He is smiling brightly as he interviews him. Senior Reporter Kang Jae-hoon [email protected]
“Did you regret the press conference?” “I didn’t regret it. I’m usually a little optimistic.” After the death of Sergeant Byun Hee-soo became known, I reread the story he said in March last year and in interviews again and again. On January 22 of last year, the Army headquarters made a decision to’forced combat’ to Sergeant Byeon, an army sergeant who said that he would like to continue his service as a female army after undergoing sex change surgery during his military service. In the press conference in January of last year and the interview in March of last year, what he wanted was the same. To achieve the human rights and freedoms of LGBTQ people, and to return to the military. However, Sergeant Byun, who smiled brightly as being’optimistic’, was found dead at home on the 3rd. It is difficult for me to dare to imagine the pain he should have endured alone. When his death became known, the political world posted a message of commemoration. In addition, Democratic Party Rep. Hong Young-pyo said, “Our society was too harsh for a 23-year-old young man who was contemplating career, employment, and identity. As a politician and grown-up, I’m so sorry,” said Rep. Yoon Mi-hyang of the same party. Rep. Lee So-young of the same party said, “I’m late, but I’ll find something I can do.” Rep. Kim Woong, a conservative party, said, “It is not a sin for people to like people. I have posted a short article, “I hope you’ll be forever.” However, they are also’parties’ who can solve Mr. Byun’s problems with’laws and institutions’. His death is regrettable, but considering’Pyo’, it is difficult to participate in the legislation to prevent’the second Byun Hee-soo’. That’s probably what the majority of lawmakers are in. Sergeant Byun said several times during his lifetime that he could not solve this problem with his own efforts. What were the lawmakers doing at that time?
“It takes a lot of effort to improve awareness, but I am not alone. That’s how much since Harisu first came out as a transgender woman in the early 2000s. Maybe I can’t fight alone. I think it will be a world where people like us can live without discrimination in society without discrimination.” <한겨레> Interviewing>
The enactment of the anti-discrimination law initiated by Justice Party lawmaker Hye-young Jang in June last year is not special. It is natural for anyone to hear that we should not be discriminated against on the basis of gender, disability, age, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Why should that naturalness be so’special’ in our society? Prior to the late Sergeant Byun Hee-soo, LGBTQ activist Kim Ki-hong of the Green Party also left our side in February. In a press interview, he even made a point toward politicians who said they needed a’social consensus’. “It’s a wasteful debate, so we want to make a social consensus later. By the way, we are just beings, we are just living. Why do we have to agree on existence? You don’t have to argue.” I hope that the lawmakers will prevent the recurrence of’Byeon Hee-soo’s tragedy’ with real legislation. It shouldn’t be such a thing, but if this happens again in our society, I am wondering if it will be passed on to the word “unfortunate” at that time. By Seo Young-ji, staff reporter