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18 Apr 2012

1 in 5 gay people in Taiwan have attempted suicide: Survey

Despite Taiwan's reputation as one of Asia's gay-friendliest territories, about 30 per cent of those surveyed have considered taking their own lives, and of these 18 per cent have actually attempted suicide while over half said they had been targets of verbal harassment, physical violence and sexual abuse.

A survey of over 2,000 gay men and lesbians conducted earlier this month in Taiwan has revealed that 29 percent said they had contemplated suicide, with 18 percent having attempted to take their own life. 

Taipei's annual gay parade is Asia's largest with some 50,000 attendess in 2011.
The survey was conducted by Gender/Sexuality Rights Association Taiwan (GSRAT) online and received 2,785 valid responses when it ran from April 3-13. The average age of the respondents in the poll was 24.3 years, with the youngest just 14 years old. Thirty-five percent identifed as lesbians, 39 percent as gay males, 20 percent as bisexual, two percent as transgender and four percent as uncertain about their sexuality.

The results which was released on Tuesday has since been picked up by various local media including Focus Taiwan and Taipei Times as well news agency AFP

Wang Ping, secretary-general of GSRT, was quoted in Focus Taiwan as calling on the Ministry of Education to quickly do what "should have been done" – put gay issues on the curriculum – as stipulated in the Gender Equity Education Act.

The Act, passed in 2004, bans gender discrimination in schools in Taiwan and stipulates that school curriculums should include gender equality education.

According to the Taipei Times, the Ministry of Education was scheduled to introduce gender-equality education — including the subject of homosexuality — into the curriculum for elementary and junior-high schools on August 1 last year. 

However, religious organisations fought its implementation by pressuring legislators and the ministry to drop the plan, the alliance which conducted the survey said, accusing the ministry of violating the Gender Equality Education Act (性別平等教育法) and of administrative delinquency. 

In response, Yang Yu-hui (楊玉惠), a ministry official, said that gender equality education has already been incorporated into the curriculum of the nation’s Nine-Year Educational Program.

What the survey found (as reported by Focus Taiwan):

- 79 percent of respondents worry that their family would not accept their sexual orientation.

- 68 percent of homosexuals feel pressured by family expectations that they will enter into heterosexual marriages.

- more than 20 percent of the respondents also said they did not have any gay-friendly friends, classmates or teachers, nor had they been exposed to gay-friendly books, websites or media before the age of 18. This means that homosexual youngsters grow up feeling helpless and isolated, according to the alliance.

- 58 percent of the respondents said they had been subjected to some forms of violence, with verbal abuse being the most common (91 percent), followed by social exclusion (54 percent), physical violence (14 percent) and sexual abuse (3 percent).

Taiwan

Reader's Comments

1. 2012-04-19 09:36  
"However, religious organisations fought its implementation by pressuring legislators and the ministry to drop the plan..."

detail details details. What religious organisations? who exactly? Christian groups? but here on Fridae we've had people telling us that Christianity is about love and acceptance.

snort.
Comment edited on 2012-04-19 09:36:45
2. 2012-04-19 09:51  
Obviously just as there's diversity among the lgbt community there's diversity of views among Christians too.
3. 2012-04-19 13:49  
Facts is we're view as GENDER DYSPHONIA by traditions, institutions, or religion. Period
4. 2012-04-19 18:08  
While the numbers quoted in the above article are disheartening a survey of 2785 responses in a country that has 23+ million people is not very significant. Especially when the general rule of thumb globally is 10% of any population are LGBT.
5. 2012-04-19 19:55  
bobo, think about the LGBT community in Taiwan. And thinking about the size of that community - I think that 2785 responses is an excellent survey response and sample size. 10% might be LGBT in any population - but are you suggesting that it's only relevant if 2.3 million responded? Survey results are statistically relevant when the responses are 1% of the population - so 1% of 10% of 2.3 means they got the expected responses.
6. 2012-04-20 00:34  
interesting. would appreciate some context tho - like base-rate for suicide attempts in non-gay/general population for the same age range (its a fairly young sample rather than a representative LGBT sample), and maybe some SES info, known diagnoses etc. but its interesting that family would feature so imptly amongst youth concerns, rather than discrimination from wider society (occupational/legal issues)- wonder if its unique to Asians/ Taiwanese - might be an in-road for activists (ie maybe target this issue if you want people to come out of the closet? i dunno).
Comment edited on 2012-04-20 00:36:47
7. 2012-04-20 02:41  
Could we (for once) have a comparative study, comparing suicide wishes/attempts in gay and general populations???
8. 2012-04-20 08:55  
buhauyise said:
"What religious organisations? who exactly? Christian groups? but here on Fridae we've had people telling us that Christianity is about love and acceptance.
snort. "
---------------------------------------------------
Wait a sec, before you snort another line, you give your location as Taiwan, probably reside there, and really suspect a Christian minority that comprises less than 4% of the population has that much political clout?

As an agnostic, it's always ironic to read knee jerk members from my community locked, loaded and ready to shoot off the moment they perceive religious hypocrisy. It looks pretty silly bemoaning their lack of "love and acceptance" while at the same time exhibiting nothing but scorn and rejection of their tenets. Granted, we're under no obligation to agree with them, but maybe if we afford them the benefit of the doubt before jumping to stereotypical conclusions, we might reap what we sow.
9. 2012-04-20 09:06  
Re:#5-I disagree with your comment and still adhere to the point I made previously.The results are inconclusive.I am very well connected within the LGBT communities of cities I have lived in.NYC,Tokyo,Hong Kong and now Taiwan.Keeping on topic I have never met an LGBT person in Taiwan that was overtly unhappy to the point of wanting to take their life(which in itself is a selfish act).With reference to #6 I agree with her request for base-rate suicide attempts for the non-gay general population same age range and SES info.She also makes a very good point about discrimination and concerns from family.Keeping on topic yes the Asian community is far more discriminatory towards the LGBT community since it goes against the "Golden Rule" to marry and procreate so that parents can become grandparents and have the insurance that they will be taken care of later on in life (for which there are no guarantees). #7 has the same valid request which I agree with as well.I would bet any amount of $$ there are far more suicides or suicidal tendencies in the straight community, including youth who take their lives since they cannot deal with school,or get failing grades or wind up as addicts from cheap drugs before they reach 18, than there are LGBT suicides or suicidal tendencies.
10. 2012-04-20 09:16  
8> so what's your point exactly?

The only religious groups that actively go out of the way to suppress LGBT as part of their core tenets are Christians and Muslims. Taoism and Buddhism both have nothing to say on the subject, and as far as I know, Taoist and Buddhist groups are not active in lobbying the government to enact policies in line with their core tenets. Muslims are a tiny tiny minority here, thank dog, so I conclude that it must be Christians, who are indeed a very powerful minority here. I could indeed be wrong.

But it is shoddy reporting in the article not to be more specific on this issue. Also, as >7 said, some comparison with suicide rates in the general population would be useful. The suicide rate generally in Taiwan has recently increased quite dramatically.

Where do you get your 4% figure from?
11. 2012-04-20 09:38  
Regarding the surveys % breakdown in the article:

"79 percent of respondents worry that their family would not accept their sexual orientation and 68 percent of homosexuals feel pressured by family expectations that they will enter into heterosexual marriages"

As I mentioned above these are conducive (but not limited to)Asian families.

"More than 20 percent of the respondents also said they did not have any gay-friendly friends, classmates or teachers, nor had they been exposed to gay-friendly books, websites or media before the age of 18. This means that homosexual youngsters grow up feeling helpless and isolated, according to the alliance."

I find the 2nd part of this comment about" lack of exposure to gay-friendly books,websites or media" hard to believe in the sophisticated IT world we live in today. Access to all the above is so simple with a computer or I-Phone or any other means of communication.Gin Gin's gay bookstore, which is a stones throw from Taiwan University,does a huge business with the LGBT community of all ages including students.There are countless LGBT websites & blogs that anyone with the touch of the keypad can open a world of LGBT information both informative as well as down & dirty sleazy.

"58 percent of the respondents said they had been subjected to some forms of violence, with verbal abuse being the most common (91 percent), followed by social exclusion (54 percent), physical violence (14 percent) and sexual abuse (3 percent)"

I would love to know on this point what the % breakdown is that comes from within the family vs.outside the family.I would once again bet $$ that it would lean towards within the family unit.



12. 2012-04-20 09:41  
Re:#10 his figure came from Wikipedia and yes I agree with your input regarding religious groups and their opinions on the LGBT community.
Comment edited on 2012-04-20 09:41:52
13. 2012-04-20 09:43  
With regard to #4, the often quoted statistic of 10% for the ratio of gay-to-straight population is completely bogus. It comes from the Kinsey report which assumed that anyone who ever had a same sex encounter is gay, even if the encounter occurred when the subject was 14 years old. A more realistic estimate would be 3-4%, which is still substantial. With regard to #8, it is certainly true that only the evangelistic religions, i.e. christianity and islam get outraged about homosexuality and also true that the squeaky wheel gets oiled. Extremist christians are extremely squeaky.
14. 2012-04-20 10:26  
I am well aware of the Kinsey report. A recent Janus Report estimated that nine percent of men and five percent of women had more than "occasional" homosexual relationships and a recent U.S. Census Bureau found that homosexual couples constitute less than 1% of American households. The Family Research Report says around 2-3% of men, and 2% of women, are homosexual or bisexual. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force estimates three to eight percent of both sexes. So who's right -- what percentage of the population is homosexual?It may be that no one will ever know for sure. To some people, homosexuality is a matter of perception and definition and many people have trouble admitting their homosexuality to themselves, much less to a researcher.Therefore how did you arrive at a 3-4% estimate?
15. 2012-04-20 18:46  
Not surprise to me since homosexuality is taboo to discuss in most Asia nations
16. 2012-04-20 19:31  
The loss of one person who feels society has no place for them because of their sexuality is too many. i was saddened by the article. i wish more could be done to help. i certainly would have welcomed someone telling me it was all okay.
My heart goes out to all of those affected.. Each is significant..whatever the stats say
17. 2012-04-21 07:38  
Statistical significance and methodology aside, 1 in 5 women have attempted suicide, period.
18. 2012-04-21 09:10  
Where does it specify women only?
Comment edited on 2012-04-21 09:10:38
19. 2012-04-21 09:20  
Oh for God's sake, don't be a stupid pseudo-intellectual cunt.
20. 2012-04-21 09:43  
Wow such aggression which I have reported to Fridae.
21. 2012-04-22 09:30  
true gays are possibly 2%-3% of world population!
22. 2012-04-23 02:33  
I doubt it is a Christian group trying to influence people in Taiwan. If it were S. Korea, I could believe it. I'm wondering if the writer includes Buddhist/Taoist beliefs as religious in the same sense a westerner would included Christian or muslim.
23. 2012-04-23 02:34  
I doubt it is a Christian group trying to influence people in Taiwan. If it were S. Korea, I could believe it. I'm wondering if the writer includes Buddhist/Taoist beliefs as religious in the same sense a westerner would included Christian or muslim.
24. 2012-04-23 06:11  
China, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore I think numbers for these countries are almost identical. So far scariest no1 in suicide statistics reading goes to Russia. Assuming gay/ hetero ratio does not chance much by spinning the Globe. Sad. Just sad. Race irrelevant. Life is.
25. 2012-04-23 08:44  
22/23 why do you doubt it's Christian groups? If you knew anything about the history or politics of Taiwan, you would know that christianity has a great influence here. Most of the elite families who run the country come from an American Evangelical/Methodist background.
26. 2012-04-25 01:19  
Is this because Taiwanese cannot afford to buy PERKS? U should investigate that. Maybe if you offer them free PERKS, they'll reconsider their decisions!
27. 2012-05-06 23:29  
The results of this survey shocks me; if we were to extrapolate the results into other Asian countries, then the disappointment would be higher. I always thought religion and notions of God is to help us do the "right" thing. But when men manage it and its religion, it gets polluted with their rigid mindsets. Which is why I have not wanted to go to church for the last 2 years...

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