China: Two-thirds find homosexuality ‘unacceptable’
Two out of three adults in China find homosexuality unacceptable, according to a survey by Shanghai Jiao Tong University released today.
The university asked almost 3,500 residents across 34 cities what they thought of topics such as homosexuality, suicide, euthanasia, domestic violence and abortion, Shanghai Daily reports.
Respondents were asked to grade their acceptance of each from one to five points. One point meant the behavior was unacceptable while five points meant it was totally compatible with everyday life.
The survey showed that 58 percent of respondents gave one point on the topic of homosexuality while 8.3 percent gave it five.
10.5 percent graded it two, which was also in the range considered ‘unacceptable’, while 18.3 percent gave it three points, meaning they felt neutral about the subject.
The survey concluded that while the personal values of Chinese people had changed a lot over the past 30 years, traditional values still played a dominant role in determining social attitudes.
The People’s Republic of China has a mixed record on gay rights. While homosexual activity between consenting adults was legalised in 1997 and homosexuality declassified as a mental illness in 2001, there are no legal provisions for gay people in the country. Same-sex couples do not have marriage or adoption rights, nor are there laws in place to protect people from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
The Chinese media is often accused of censoring positive depictions of gay culture and relationships. Earlier this year, gay sex scenes were censored from the film Cloud Atlas ahead of its release in the country.
