Watchdog finds denial of space rental for LGBT festival infringes on right to equality

The national human rights watchdog determined Monday that denying rental spaces for a festival for sexual minorities on the grounds of potential conflicts with opposition groups constitutes a discriminatory act.

The National Human Rights Commission issued the decision against the Seoul Museum of History and the Seoul city government's public activities support center after they refused to rent their spaces for this year's Seoul Queer Culture Festival, the biggest local festival for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals.

The festival's organizing committee had previously requested that the two institutions rent spaces for a lecture by an American human rights activist in April, but both requests were denied on the grounds that it could cause social conflicts and disrupt the museum's operations. The festival's side subsequently filed a petition with the rights watchdog.

The NHRC determined on Monday that the denial of space rental was a groundless violation of the right to equality, recommending that the institutions revise their operational regulations to prevent a recurrence

"If the institutions' arguments are accepted, sexual minority groups would be unable to use the facilities in the future ... resulting in these institutions, meant to support citizens' public activities, arbitrarily restricting various civic activities," the commission said. (Yonhap)