By Chyung Eun-ju



About 80 percent of middle school students say that finding out that peer was homosexual would not affect their relationship.



Kim Ae-ra, a researcher from Ewha Woman's University Korean Women's Institute, presented the "Students' Awareness on Gender Rights Survey" in an ongoing debate about gender equality organized by Seoul City.



A total of 664 students in the third year of middle school (16 years old) participated in the surveys from July 4-19 this year.



In the first survey regarding "finding out a peer was homosexual," 610 people participated. Of these, 18.6 percent said they would "Break it off" or "Keep distance."



A total of 29.5 percent (180 people) said, "I would feel uncomfortable but it is not my business," 38.4 percent (234 people) marked, "The relationship will go on as usual," and 13.3 percent (81 people) said, "I would ask if they were having a hard time and be there for them."



The second survey asked how a relationship would change if a peer was transgender.



Out of 632 students, 24.2 percent said they would end the relationship or distance themselves; 28.3 percent (179 people) said they would not care; 34.5 percent (218 people) said it would not change the relationship, while 13 percent (82 people) said they would share their distress.



More male students than females gave negative responses in both surveys.



A total of 13.3 percent of female students said they thought about their own sexual preferences or identity while 3 percent of male students said they did this.



A total of 33.4 percent of 659 students said education regarding sexual minorities was necessary (female: 41 percent, male: 26.1 percent).



Of 656 students who replied to a survey about how helpful sex education was, 14.3 percent said sex education did not help in any way, 29 percent said it did not help, 25.3 percent marked satisfactory, while 11.5 percent said the sex education helped them a lot.



Of the students who said sex education did not help, 54.2 percent said they already knew about it, 53.2 percent said they were tired of listening to the same thing, and3 5.6 percent said the material did not teach students what they wanted t to know.



On the other hand, 70 percent of the students said they had made a remark regarding gender while 54.1 percent said they felt judged if they did not act like their gender.



Forty percent said that they had used abusive words to insult sexual minorities.



Among the 40 percent, 48.9 percent said they did this because their friends did and 40.1 percent said they used the words but without negative intentions.



Only 7.3 percent said they used abusive language to insult sexual minorities deliberately.



Although homosexuality is not banned in South Korea, the LGBT community _ lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender _ are not usually welcomed because most Koreans remain either indifferent to or intolerant of homosexuality according to a Gallup Korea survey in June.



President Moon Jae-in, a former human rights lawyer, also said during the election campaign that he was against legalizing same-sex marriage.



In May this year, a military court sentenced a gay soldier to six months' jail, suspended for a year, for violating the Military Criminal Act. The soldier had consensual sex with another male soldier.

