The homosexual community in China faces discrimination and is treated with less respect as compared to the heterosexuals. The older people in China are rigid and refuse to change their negative perceptions towards the homosexuals. The older people perceive homosexuals as being sick and think homosexuals need to seek treatment. The homosexuals experience social stigma and pressure from their families, friends, colleagues, and the community as a whole (Preston 219). The homosexuals, thus, experience problems such as the fear to seek health services due to fear of stigmatization (Feng et al.). The marriage law bill, for the homosexuals, which was implemented in the US has made the homosexuals in the area to come out in the open with no fear and has changed the perception of the people in the US towards homosexuals. If the Chinese government stands up for the homosexuals just like the American government, homosexuals would face lesser problems. The levels of fear and stigmatization among the homosexuals in China would decrease. For the homosexuality community in China, the problems they face due to their sexuality could be watered down by support from the Chinese government towards the homosexuals. The paper explores the need for homosexuals to be treated equally as other citizens in China. It will base its arguments on the current state of homosexuality in the US so as to impart some open-mindedness and consideration to people against it.
A research interviewed homosexuals in Chengdu, China to find out the problems that they face. One interviewee shared his experience of how he had to stop using places such as money boy and gay bars for fear of discrimination and manipulation from the anti-gay persons (Feng). The gay youth explains that though these sites were meant for the them, the anti-gay manipulative people took advantage and saw a business opportunity out of it. The anti-gay men would show up at the gay bar pretending to be gay themselves. They would socialize and make friends. While they are getting to know each other better, the anti-gay man would then reveal that they are not gay and ask for money so that he keeps the sexuality of the gay person who was supposed to be his friend a secret. The interviewee explains how he had an encounter with such men himself. When the interviewee threatens to tell this to his gay friends, the anti-gay man pointed to him that he also had his crew and he showed the crew to him. The interviewee parted with some Yuan’s so that his sexuality is kept secret thus avoiding any possible discrimination. The interviewee then resorted never to visit those places again due the people that he termed as very dangerous.
The interviewee further explains that his social life was interfered with at that moment. He could not talk to most of his friends at school about it since they did not know that he was gay. He had only three friends that knew he was gay because they were gay themselves. He could discuss this with them only over the text because they felt very insecure discussing it in school or at their homes for fear of being discovered. He explains how one of his friends was caught with his gay partner in his previous school while in the washroom. The two were directly attacked for their sexuality; they were discriminated and alienated by everyone, leading to them transferring to other schools (Feng et al.). The interviewee and his other friends did not want this to happen to them. He then points out that he could not discuss this with any of his family members because he was sure the reaction from them would not be good following the views he had from them about homosexuality. He also revealed that what kept him from telling his family was fear of disappointing them in failing to maintain the heterosexual family lineage.
It was until his friends discovered sites in the internet where they could freely chat and talk freely with other gay persons that he felt he was gaining back his social life. He explains how he made new friends using those sites, one known as Sunshine (Feng et al; Zhang 574). He also pours out his frustration on how they had to go into the depths to find places where they could meet and talk face to face. Even then, they felt very insecure. He goes ahead to explain how these sites had a small limit regarding the number of friends that a user could accommodate. He also points out that these sites were constantly hacked. His life was filled with fear and draw back from the society because of the views they held on homosexuals.
The interviewee points out that most gay people like himself were at a high risk of contracting HIV and dying from it due to fear of visiting health centers. He said that going to the hospitals would only result to judgment for health professionals that you did something morally wrong. He said that even though Chengdu Gay Community Care Organization (CGCCO) was meant for them, the gay, visiting such a place was not a good idea. It was the easiest was for people to find out about their sexuality leading to possible discrimination and stigmatization. According to him, HIV results in CGCCO were not private. The gay community would easily find out one of their own results if he gets a test from their organization. He shares a story of a man from Chengdu who came clean about his positive HIV status to create awareness and help the community but what followed was suicide (Feng et al.).
According to the World Report 2013, the American policies on sexual orientation have shifted the attitudes of many Americans in the positive direction. For instance, the November elections of 2013 saw many states such as Maryland, Washington, and Maine legalize same-sex marriage. Many other states have also popularly voted for the gay marriage in the U.S. It is through the support of the current leadership of Obama that gay marriage has been recognized and supported. For China, the states should begin refocusing on the issue and bold leaders should take steps and discuss the issue in the parliament (Human Rights Watch 649).
The homosexual community in China constitutes of a small number of people and has not been fully accepted by other members of the nation. The homosexuals in China have to pass a more difficult life as opposed to the heterosexuals (Wong 445). They have to make difficult decisions and choices just because of their sexuality, which in reality does not really define them. What really defines a person is character and ability rather than sexuality (Howe 100). The people in China need to be given knowledge on homosexuals and made known to them that they are not in any way different from heterosexuals. Once the Chinese government recognizes them and accommodates them in the law, then the rest of the community will also follow suit. The rest of the community will then have to coexist peacefully with the homosexual community. This will increase the confidence in the homosexuals living in China and decrease the number of problems that they have to go through because of their sexuality.
The homosexual community is facing a number of problems. Though there are organizations that have been formed specifically for them, they have not fully embraced them themselves. This is because of the negative perception that other people still hold against them. They are attacked directly or face stigma due to their sexuality (Howe 100). They have to live in fear and contain themselves in their small cocoons because what awaits them when they come out in the open is uncertain. Their social life is difficult and they cannot socialize freely. They are forced to live a lie for fear of disappointing their families (Chow). They face threats of exposure from some of the heterosexuals and they have to live with that (Jones 90).
This is important to me because I am a homosexual myself. I do not perceive myself as any different from any heterosexual. I do not have to undergo all the problems that the homosexuals in China have usually gone through. I do not have to hide my sexuality for fear of being discriminated. I do not have to live in fear and a lie, pretending that all is well yet I am dying inside. I understand what the homosexual community in China is going through because I am one of them. This is important to me because I feel the treatment towards the homosexual community in China has to change and the Chinese government, just as the US government did, has to intervene.
This is important to the society as the society needs to accept the homosexuals because they are part of them. The society needs to know that there is no difference between homosexuals and heterosexuals. The negative perceptions towards homosexuals need to be addressed and changed. The society needs to respect homosexuals as well because personality and character supersedes sexuality (Preston et al. 227). All communities in the society have to coexist peacefully in order to achieve more as a society. There is no point in discriminating or demeaning the homosexuality community since they too are part of the society, and could hold ideas that could make the society develop.
The problems that the homosexual community in China is facing are mainly because the law in China has not recognized the homosexuals. The homosexuals are not treated with respect, they are discriminated and have low self-esteem. The adoption of China of more liberal policies in the past years is reported to have brought about some changes such as more openness regarding homosexual behaviors in the country. Going by the number of organizations that have been formed specifically for the homosexuals one would think that homosexuality has been fully accepted in China. In 2001, homosexual behavior as a psychosis was excluded from the China Psychiatric Classification and Diagnostic Criteria, Version 3 (Feng et al.). Despite all this, it is still evident that the majority of the homosexual’s behavior still faces stigmatization and the perception of the individuals in China regarding homosexuality has not yet changed. One study revealed that most people in China still view homosexuality as a psychotic disorder and that the homosexuals need to seek treatment. Homosexuality is still viewed as a deviation from the norms of the society and homosexuals have to live a false life and in fear (Feng et al.). They still fear for their social lives and bringing shame to their families. Most homosexuals therefore have low self-esteem and are at a higher risk of indulging in risky behaviors such as engaging in drug abuse. The homosexuals are thus forced to marry according to their family wishes. Since they find it hard to negotiate for safer sex among themselves, they stand a chance of getting infections. This exposes their families and children to these infections too.
The Chinese government needs to intervene further so that the problems faced by the homosexuals in China reduce. It needs to show that the citizens of China that their perceptions alone are not enough to not accept the homosexuals when they have done nothing wrong in the society or in violation of the societal rules. Research shows that assistance from the government, such as the homosexuality, marriage bill passed in America, is of great help to the homosexuals in that particular country (Rostosky 39). A study revealed that during the negotiation stage of passing of the bill, families that supported such a bill faced negative effects because they were in the limelight (Rostosky 40). Despite this, passing the homosexual marriage bill distressed the homosexual individuals. In countries where the homosexual bill has been passed, the homosexuals in that country underwent less stress as compared to the homosexuals that lived in countries where the homosexual marriage bill has not been passed. The bill enabled homosexuals to come out in the open about their sexuality with no fear. They lived a happier life as compared to when the bill had not been passed (Rostosky). In order for the homosexuality community in China to face fewer problems that they experience due to their sexuality, the Chinese government has to help them. When the Chinese government passes a law that supports the homosexual community in China, the individuals in that community will no longer live in fear. They will be more confident to come out in the open and their self-esteem will be boosted. Government intervention will increase the respect of the other members of the society towards the homosexuals. The society will have to treat the homosexuals with respect since the government recognizes them. It may not totally change the perceptions of the society towards homosexuals, but it will help the homosexuals themselves to be more confident about themselves.
Another cause of the discrimination faced by the homosexual communities in China is the lack of knowledge that the citizens in the country were regarding homosexuality. Most of the citizens in the nation still view homosexuality as a disease. They refuse to come out of this belief and embrace homosexuality just like other countries in the world are doing. They lack the basic knowledge that classifies homosexuals as normal human beings who have no difference to the rest of the community except the simple fact they prefer same sex partners. The citizens in China view homosexuality as an epidemic rather than a contemporary issue that has been ignored for a long time and needs to be embraced (Chow). This has several effects. Homosexuals end up being discriminated and living lonely lives. Most of their lives full of stress because of fear of coming out in the open about their sexualities (Chow). Depression takes over them. A citizen that is stressed and depressed cannot optimize their abilities to work towards achieving the goals of the nation. If the citizens of China are impacted with the knowledge that homosexuals are normal human beings, they will learn to accept them and the homosexuals will no longer face discrimination and esteem issues. They will have the capability to optimize their abilities to improve their nation.
The need to uphold the family lineage is yet another factor that contributes immensely to the fear and lack of esteem by homosexuals in China (Preston 229). Due to the one child restriction in China, most homosexuals feel they will disappoint their families when they come clean about their sexualities. They feel the need to fulfill this wish for their families and end up marrying heterosexually (Preston 229). Since this does not change their sexuality, they end being unfaithful to their partners. The effect of this is that it places such families at a very high risk of contracting diseases.
Homosexuality is not a cause to demean or isolate an individual (Liu 32). The discrimination, fear, and self-esteem issues that the homosexual community in China faces needs to be addressed. The homosexual individuals need to be treated with respect and not live in fear because of their sexuality. The way the society treats they should not be any different from how the heterosexuals are treated. Ben Carson even states that, there is no problem whatsoever in allowing the gay people to lead their lives as they please, under condition that they do not impose this lifestyle on others. When passing the homosexuality, marriage bill Americas President Barack Obama stated that, “I believe marriage is between a man and a woman. I am not in favor of gay marriage. But when you start playing around with constitutions, just to prohibit somebody who cares about another person, it just seems to me that's not what America's about. Usually, our constitutions expand liberties they do not contract them.” (Lewis). Homosexuality community in China needs to be taken into consideration by the government in order to ease the discrimination, fear and self-esteem issues that they face due to their sexuality.
Works Cited
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