International Day Against Homophobia: China still lacks protections and support for LGBT people at work and in society
- China decriminalised homosexuality in 1997 and removed it from a list of mental illnesses in 2001, but gay marriage isn’t legal and social acceptance remains limited
- Reports by NGOs found many people struggle to gain acceptance at work, with many saying they don’t receive enough to consider having children
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In China, homosexuality was decriminalised in 1997 and removed from a list of mental illnesses in 2001, but gay marriage still isn’t legal and social acceptance remains limited.
A report from the Guangzhou-based nonprofit organisation Advocates for a Diverse Family Network, which interviewed 3,171 lesbians and transgender women, found that they face difficulties having children due to a lack of legal and policy support, as well as cultural acceptance.
Among 1,823 single women, 1,650, or 90 per cent, don’t want to have children, with the top reasons being “not liking children” and “not enough social support”.
For the 173 who currently are or are planning to fall pregnant, the top difficulties are; they don’t receive medical support, can’t access proper maternity leave, and have no support from their families.
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Out of the 1,077 women with partners, 815 have no plans to have children due to “not liking children”, “financial limitations” and “not enough social support”.
For the 252 who already have children or plan to have them, the top difficulties are; one member of the couple is not a legal guardian to the child, financial pressure, and the fact that same-sex couples cannot receive reimbursements for birth-related expenses.
“Interviewees hope for more legal and social support in the future, including the right to have birth and custody when being single, and legal rights for homosexual partners,” the report said.
Another report co-led by The Beijing LGBT Centre and UNDP has similar findings of LGBT treatment in the Chinese workplace. The questionnaires submitted from 3,445 employees and 122 employers across China found an overall lack of support.
Out of 122 companies, only 13.9 per cent have anti-discrimination or fair opportunity policies, 14.8 per cent allow their employees to take leave for their LGBT partner or family-related issues, 5.7 per cent have gender-neutral bathrooms, and 10 per cent have workplace training about gender or diversity.
The report suggested that the government establish more specific laws on gender and sexuality-based discrimination in the workplace and have better anti-discrimination policies, diversity-friendly benefits, training, and workplace evaluation.
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In Chinese society, young people are gradually showing more support for the LGBT community and becoming more vocal, even though censorship of LGBT topics and depictions in film and on television are still rigidly enforced.
As of Monday, the hashtag “517” has been read over 780 million times on Weibo, with many posting the rainbow emoji and the phrase “Love is love”.
Others also commented with screenshots of famous LGBT films, including the 2005 Ang Lee film Brokeback Mountain, 2015 film Carol and 2002 Chinese film Lan Yu, as well as music videos of famous songs calling for more tolerance.
“Love knows no gender, age, or skin colour,” one online commenter wrote. ”Everyone has the right to love. I hope we can show more respect and tolerance.”
