The Gay Voters Party, an LGBT organization, said on Tuesday it plans to request police protection for the transsexual cast of talk show “XY Her.”

Produced by cable channel KBS Joy, the first transsexual TV program in the nation debuted on Sept 6. It was canceled after one episode due to harsh opposition from conservative activists.

National Mothers Association for True Education and 240 other conservative organizations allied to demand the cancellation of the show, through the Internet and full-page newspaper advertisements.

Some conservative organizations allegedly called KBS and threatened to bury the show host alive.

The Gay Voters Party reported Tuesday they decided to request protection from Seoul Metropolitan Police because the transsexuals who appeared on the show were terrified by the threats and feared the high probability of hate crimes.

The studio stated they decided to postpone the show since they feared an organization with enough financial and organizational power as these would intensify their activities in the future.

Lee In-seop, director of the Gay Voters Party, said that while he understood the studio’s concern for the cast’s safety, he regretted that they suspended a movement that supports the rights of sexual minorities.

“In order for Korea to become a developed country on human rights, we must improve the discriminatory, anti-human rights atmosphere that conservative organizations like these are creating,” Lee said.

by Sang Youn-joo, Intern Reporter
(sangyj@heraldcorp.com)