Every June, we commemorate Pride Month to promote a more inclusive society towards members of the LGBTQ+ community. Although tolerance for queer people is still not the default — especially in Korea — progress continues to be made, slowly but surely, not least due to the efforts of LGBTQ+ organizations to spread awareness and provide safe spaces for queer people. One such organization is EQUEL, KAIST’s very own queer club. To celebrate Pride Month, The KAIST Herald interviewed EQUEL’s president, Jeongwhan Oh, to share about the club’s advocacy and promote it to our readers.

Please introduce yourself.

My name is Jeongwhan Oh, and I am the current president of EQUEL. I am currently not a KAIST student (I graduated with my master’s degree in February 2021), but I joined the club 11 years ago.

How did EQUEL start, and what is its purpose?

As far as I know, EQUEL started in 1998 just as a friendly gathering where gays and lesbians at KAIST could meet and make friends. Even when I joined [11 years ago], there wasn’t a systematic structure. But EQUEL became more organized in 2016 when the club established its current system, set a vision, and expanded its membership. Now the club aims to act as a shelter for queer students at KAIST and to protect and enhance queer rights at large.

What kinds of activities does EQUEL conduct?

Our activities are mainly focused on building a friendly atmosphere among our members. Admittedly, we haven’t been as active during the pandemic. We started conducting monthly in-person meetings again after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, and we encourage our members to hang out in small groups. We also usually set up a booth during the KAIST Human Rights Week held every September, where we advocate for queer inclusivity. And we put up posters and banners around campus to promote the club and our cause, like for IDAHO (International Day Against Homophobia) last May 17.

Do you think KAIST is inclusive or tolerant enough towards queer KAISTians?

I must say, KAIST is still far from being an inclusive and tolerant place for us. For example, there have been incidents in the past, though this was before the pandemic, when events where the speakers would spread homophobic sentiment were held on or near campus. EQUEL also isn’t officially recognized as part of the Clubs Union since they require a list of members and personal information, which would put our members at extreme risk. But it is fortunate that there are students and professors who show their support for EQUEL. History tells us that it is not solely in the hands of the disadvantaged but more so in those of the allies and the privileged to construct a more inclusive society.

For our readers who might not identify as queer but are allies of the cause, can they join the club?

Unfortunately, for the sake of our members’ privacy and safety, EQUEL only admits students who identify as queer (not limited to just gays and lesbians). But for those who want to help our cause, we encourage them to support the KAIST Student & Minority Human Rights Committee, [which] aims to spread awareness about student minorities, including queer students. We coordinate with the committee for many of our activities, so that’s one way to help us without being a member.

And finally, what would you say to our readers who identify as queer but have a hard time being themselves and fitting in?

Academics alone are enough of a burden for KAIST students (perhaps that’s why we usually receive more membership applications during exam periods), and being queer in Korean society adds even more. At EQUEL, we just want to provide a place where you can be yourself and be comfortable without any inhibitions in expressing your identity. Some might be understandably worried about being outed if they join EQUEL, but we haven’t had any outing incidents at all. We conduct a basic informative seminar for new members explaining what they can and cannot do. We specifically emphasize that members should not out fellow members. This semester, we also just started admitting international students to the club. Before, we only had Korean members because of the language barrier, but we realized we cannot promote inclusivity and commit unintentional discrimination at the same time. We’re proud that our membership doubled this semester, and around 20% of our current members are internationals. So please hesitate no more and come join EQUEL to meet and communicate with other legendary, gorgeous, beautiful, tantalizing and quality queers!

Readers who are interested in joining EQUEL can do so by contacting their KakaoTalk channel kaist_equel.