Chinese school forced to take down HIV poster that said gay people would die sooner than ‘normal’ people
- Education poster triggers angry response for saying homosexuality increases risk of drug addiction and makes people more inclined to hurt others
- School in Guangxi region accused of ‘ignorance’ after images saying same-sex relationship are ‘unnatural’ circulated widely on social media
A school in southwestern China has taken down an HIV prevention poster suggesting gay people are “abnormal” and live shorter lives after it triggered a furious backlash.
The poster in No 2 High School in Hengxian county, Guangxi region, listed five dangers from homosexuality, according to a report in Thepaper.cn on Thursday.
As well as dying eight to 10 years earlier than “normal” people, it said gay people faced a higher risk of contracting HIV or sexually transmitted diseases, were inclined to hurt other people, caused social instability and were more likely to become drug addicts.
“Homosexuality contravenes natural principles. [Gay people] have flaws in their personality and their mood is not stable,” the poster said.
“Their existence is a threat to the normal people around them … Being gay is abnormal behaviour. Their thoughts go against their physical characteristics and thus damage their mental system.”
Pictures of the poster generated a furious response when they started being shared on the country’s most popular social media network, WeChat.