박주민 “교육부에 유감…성소수자 지운 건 지키지 않겠다는 선언”

Criticism has arisen from various political parties over the Education Ministry's removal of content related to sexual minorities from the widely distributed "hate and discrimination expression response guidebook" for schools across the nation. MP Park Ju-min expressed disappointment over the Education Ministry’s decision, stating on Facebook, "I express my regret over the irresponsible decision by the Education Ministry."

The MP highlighted that out of seven experts, six withdrew their names from the review committee, but the decision remained unchanged. He emphasized that the guidebook was created to protect these children from hatred, and its removal of individuals was no different from a declaration of abandonment. Citing a survey by the Jeongdong Youth Support Center, Park noted that 76 out of 158 surveyed youth had experienced hate expressions from teachers, while 151 had endured such expressions from peers.

He concluded, "Their only request was brief: 'Please just respect.'". Progressive Party MP Sool Sol also criticized the Education Ministry's omission of content on sexual minorities, calling the Ministry's response to anti-discrimination complaints "ridiculous". He pointed out that the issue highlighted the lack of consistent action across all departments.

The Education Ministry had been working on a nationwide guidebook for addressing hate and discrimination expressions following the controversy surrounding the Jeongdong High School's '5.18 Democratic Movement mockery' incident. The guidebook, based on the draft 'Prevention and Response Handbook for Hate and Discrimination Expressions' by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, was revised and reviewed, but the concepts of 'sexual orientation' and 'gender identity', which are crucial for sexual minorities, were entirely removed, sparking controversy.