CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION

When sexual orientation becomes an excuse

In a recent revelation by the mass media, a decision by the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada in July 2009 made a South Korean man the first from his country to be awarded asylum to escape military conscription; the basis for which—his sexual orientation.

While many in the GLBT community may hail this as an achievement for their cause, I find the ruling to be ridiculous.  From what I can presume, homosexuals in South Korea are not subject to any more discrimination in the military than an obese person or anyone else that may stand out, since sexual deviation is not considered a social problem in the society unless it is institutionalized, such as via marriage.

It is, indeed, a fact that many of the deaths in the country's military are due to suicides—this is not limited to the experience of any isolated demographic.  In the society as a whole, suicide is an increasing problem as a result of physical and mental abuse in general; but, should everyone who is subject to such pressures be able to escape conscription (or, other obligations such as their families, schools, or careers) and seek refugee status in another country?—If so, Canada is going to be overpopulated with irresponsible people from all over the world... Hell, maybe I'll move there, too!

In South Korea, homosexuality is not illegal; it does not have relevance to a person's ability to serve in the military; and, people do not murder each other over it. If there is a human rights issue—and, there are, I stress, many—it needs to be resolved; this, however, is not the way to do it.

We need to face our problems, not run away from them.

Fiore Graves is a Korean-American living in Stockholm, Sweden.