Raising Queer Workers' Rights in South Korea

Haengseongin(Solidarity for LGBT Human Rights of Korea) participated as the LGBTQ+ contingent in the 2025 National Workers' Rally, held at Dongdaemun History & Culture Park on November 8, conducting on-site activities to raise awareness about the existence and labor rights of LGBTQ+ workers.

The National Workers' Rally is a space for sharing and expressing solidarity around diverse labor issues and struggles. However, the voices of LGBTQ+ workers have often been difficult to make visible. In response, Haengseongin organized activities under the message, “LGBTQ+ workers are here at the National Workers’ Rally,” aiming to demonstrate that LGBTQ+ people are also workers who struggle, organize, and demand workers’ rights as active stakeholders in the labor movement.

On the day of the rally, Haengseongin operated a booth from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM, engaging with union members and participants. The booth featured a quiz program on LGBTQ+ labor rights and distributed the booklet <To You, Who Will Be an Ally of LGBTQ+ People> along with informational leaflets. Through these materials, we sought to share why LGBTQ+ people participate in the National Workers’ Rally and to invite greater attention to the labor rights of LGBTQ+ workers. Approximately 500 leaflets were distributed.

Following the booth activities, the group joined the rally’s march holding a banner, visually demonstrating that LGBTQ+ workers are an integral part of the National Workers' Rally. The slogan, “LGBTQ+ Workers Stand with the 2025 National Workers’ Rally Inheriting the Spirit of Jeon Tae-il,” drew interest and expressions of solidarity from other participants and served as an opportunity to highlight LGBTQ+ labor rights as a crucial agenda within the labor movement.

Through this participation, we reaffirmed that while many workers express solidarity with LGBTQ+ people, there is still a lack of concrete understanding about who LGBTQ+ people are, the challenges they face, and how they live their lives. Moving forward, there is a need to build connections using clearer and more accessible language. Haengseongin remains committed to continuing its efforts to ensure that LGBTQ+ workers can safely exist, be welcomed, and take part in collective struggle within workplaces and the broader labor movement.

Through the campaign building program with volunteer members, we produced, printed, and distributed the Trans-Friendly Etiquette poster. This guideline contains practical steps for making a transgender-friendly community and organization. The posters were distributed at pride parades and the events around the Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDoR), and also made available at our office so that visitors could take them and post them in their own offices and places. Many individuals put them up in their offices and shared them as rules to be observed in spaces where they work alongside transgender colleagues. In addition, copies were mailed to labor unions, workers’ organizations, and civil society groups so they could be displayed in their offices.

The Labor Party, a political party committed to workers’ rights, also posted the guidelines and expressed solidarity, emphasizing their commitment to creating safe spaces and welcoming communities for transgender people.

While the Trans-Friendly Etiquette has already helped many communities become more inclusive of transgender people, some feedback noted that because it used queer terms, written in Korean by sounding out the English words, the words and content can be difficult for those less familiar with transgender issues.

In response, we are now creating a second version of the poster with simpler language and illustrations instead of long text, making it easier for a wider audience to understand. We are also planning a booklet with more detailed explanations to help people gain a deeper understanding of transgender people's lives. These new materials will be distributed and displayed in various workplaces.

We ask for your continued support so that more transgender-friendly workplaces, communities, and organizations can emerge in Korea.