Freedom of speech is not only a precondition for all basic human rights but also a way of manifesting personality; furthermore, the freedom of speech is an essential rights in democracy. In addition, freedom of speech carries a significant meaning to ...
Freedom of speech is not only a precondition for all basic human rights but also a way of manifesting personality; furthermore, the freedom of speech is an essential rights in democracy. In addition, freedom of speech carries a significant meaning to minorities since it historically provided a basis for minorities in acquiring their own rights against hierarchs. However, sexual minorities’ freedom of speech is not fully guaranteed in this democratic society where the freedom of speech is truly needed.
Sexual minorities, especially, could not be revealed in the society due to their invisibility and discrimination which makes them in silent. In the ‘90s, Korea society began to be aware of their existence.
Hate speech towards sexual minorities, a recently emerging issue, aggravates existing discrimination and constricts sexual minorities’ freedom of speech.
At this point, it is necessary to examine freedom of speech of sexual minorities from a constitutional perspective. This treatise is organized in 5 chapters including introduction, conclusion, and 3 bodies.
Roughly, this treatise examines the reality of society which discriminates sexual minorities; in addition, aggrieved basic human rights of sexual minorities by hate speech and counteractions are examined. After then, a study on the possibility of realizing a political quota for minorities as a countermeasure against constraints of sexual minorities’ freedom of speech is following.
In the second chapter, definition of minorities and sexual minorities and categorizing the types of them are arranged before arguing fullfledged discussion. Also, sexual minorities’ distinctive characteristic, invisibility, which differentiates them from other types of minorities is examined. It is difficult to notice one’s sexual orientation unless it is exposed voluntarily. The reason why sexual minorities are so-called ‘invisible’ is social disregard towards their existence as well as concealment of themselves. This invisibility is significant to examine with sexual minorities’ freedom of speech.
On the basis of these arguments, examining the social reality which sexual minorities are discriminated is following as the discriminative reality, ‘prejudice and stereotype towards sexual minorities’, is caused by hate speech.
In the third chapter, concepts, features, and a current state of hate speech towards sexual minorities are reviewed; also, examining the restrictions on sexual minorities’ basic human rights by hate speech is following. In this treatise, restricted human rights of sexual minorities are including ‘freedom of speech’ as well as personality rights and equality rights. Invisibility, sexual minorities’ distinctive characteristic, is intensified by hate speech.
Sexual minorities are recognized that they could be a target of attack or discrimination whenever by hate speech towards them. For this reason, they are not able to expose their identity that composing important part of personality; moreover, they cannot realize their rights, freedom of speech, and conceal themselves in the society.
An issue regarding hate speech in Korea emerges recently, however, issues about legal regulations on abused personality rights and equality rights by hate speech has been argued. About this, legal actions such as criminal sanction, civil sanction, and mediation or arbitration can be possible.
Comparably, there are lack of specific measures for restricted sexual minorities’ freedom speech. Also, legal actions against personality rights and equality rights mentioned above are possible on a personal level; however, a collective level ?in other words, hate speech expresses towards not an individual but a group of minority - doesn’t have sufficient legal actions compared to that of personal level. To compensate this defect, institutional measures should be suggested to complement a hindrance to sexual minorities’ freedom of speech
An irrational prejudice and stereotypes resulted from the hate speech become a root of discrimination and result in the hate speech again. This vicious circle must be broken by sexual minorities’ freedom of speech, by themselves.
In the fourth chapter, the political quota is suggested as an institutional improvement for supplementing freedom of speech of sexual minorities. The constitutional bases of political quota as an affirmative action can be generally found at the equality rights. However, this treatise proposes the possibility of finding constitutional bases of political quota at the freedom of speech. Sexual minorities as well as other groups of minorities cannot express enough their groups’ interest and it leads minorities to be excluded from political process. For these reasons, reforming this political problem situation should be preceded for fundamental renovation of the discriminative reality.
To suggest the political quota specifically, effects and criticism of existing women’s political quota are examined and possibility of fulfilling minorities’ political quota are suggested based on the comparison.