Pauline Park
Encyclopedia
Early life and education
Born in KoreaKorea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, Park was adopted by European American
European American
A European American is a citizen or resident of the United States who has origins in any of the original peoples of Europe...
parents and raised in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. As a child, she attended public schools in Milwaukee. Park received a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
from the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
, an M.Sc. in European studies
European studies
European studies is a field of study offered by many academic colleges and universities that focuses on current developments in European integration....
from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
.
Activism
In 1997, Park co-founded Queens Pride House, a center for the LGBT communities of QueensQueens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, and Iban/Queer Koreans of New York. In 1998, Park co-founded the New York Association for Gender Rights Advocacy (NYAGRA), the first statewide transgender advocacy organization in New York.
Park served as coordinator of the work group which led the campaign for the transgender rights law enacted by the New York City Council
New York City Council
The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of the City of New York. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs. The Council serves as a check against the mayor in a "strong" mayor-council government model. The council monitors performance of city agencies and...
(Int. No. 24, enacted as Local Law 3 of 2002).http://www.nyblade.com/2003/7-18/locallife/main/parking.cfm She served on the working group that helped to draft guidelines—adopted by the Commission on Human Rights in December 2004—for implementation of the new statute. http://www.gaycitynews.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=17006809&BRD=2729&PAG=461&dept_id=568864&rfi=8
Park negotiated inclusion of gender identity and expression in the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA), a safe schools bill enacted by the New York state legislature in 2010,http://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?bn=S01454 and the first fully transgender-inclusive legislation introduced in that body.http://www.nyblade.com/2003/7-18/news/national/crudase.cfm She also served on the steering committee of the coalition that secured enactment of the Dignity in All Schools Act by the New York City Council in September 2004. In 2005, Park became the first openly transgendered person chosen to be grand marshal of the New York City Pride March
Gay Pride Parade (New York City)
The Gay Pride March is an annual march more commonly referred to as the Pride Parade in New York City, traversing southward down Fifth Avenue and ending at Greenwich Village...
, the oldest and largest pride event in the United States.