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4 Dec 2015

Gay rights activists in China challenge homophobic textbooks

LGBT student activists have met with government officials from the Ministry of Education to remove textbooks which identify homosexuality as a mental disorder.

LGBT activist Chen Qiuyuan has been lobbying the Ministry of Education in Beijing to remove textbooks from schools and universities that classify homosexuality as a mental disorder.

In May Chen, a 20 year old communications major at Sun-Yatsen University, sent a letter to the Ministry of Education, demanding that it disclose its procedure for approving these textbooks.

The Ministry of Education did not respond in the 15 day time limit set by the government. Chen sued the ministry, and on August 14th, her case was accepted by the Beijing No. 1 Court.

In lieu of a trial, Chen had a two hour meeting with education officials, presided over by a judge. Chen’s lawyer made the following statement:

“The people from the Ministry of Education said they had read reports about this case, and they had studied whether or not homosexuality was an illness. They're paying attention to this issue. I think that's good. Only if there's attention on a problem can it be solved.

To be able to go to court, and have the media here report about it, that indicates that this topic is slowly opening up and prejudice can be slowly eradicated.”

Although homosexuality was removed from the list of recognised mental disorders in 2001,a study last year by the Gay and Lesbian Campus Association in China found that out of 31 psychology textbooks that have been published in China since 2001, 13 of them classified homosexuality as a mental disorder.

"What I"m trying to do is eradicate prejudice in society toward [the homosexual community]," Chen told reporters. "It's very difficult to make your parents, that generation, to accept."

讀者回應

1. 2015-12-04 22:13  
....The generation of parents and grandparents are not open-minded usually .. especially for a man if the man doesn't have wife and children , in village of China, people would gossip about it and make rumors , and the whole family tress would curious about when the single man is gonna get married ATT
2. 2015-12-05 02:10  
Brave Strong woman. How to donate to support her?
3. 2015-12-05 04:13  
I find it interesting that in China a person can write to the government, wait 15 days for a rely and then if one doesn't come have their complaint heard before a judge. That sounds like a system which some western countries should employ.
It is impressive just how steadily LGBT people around the world are changing the thinking of the older generation. It may take time but given that this is the 21st century and worldly communication is so much more effective … it maybe not as much time as we'd expect.
My sincere compliments to this strong young woman.
4. 2015-12-14 15:08  
Yes I agree with comment no. 3 - very surprising to see that a judge in China can review a lack of response to an official complaint to a ministry that is non-responsive after 15 days. That is FAR better than most so-called Western Democracies. Just goes to show how prejudiced our views are of China and its systems thanks to our media's own prejudices and partial coverage of China. How about some impartiality occasionally? Some hopes!
But very well done to that Chinese lady - keep up the pressure!
5. 2015-12-15 13:20  
Who is to say what is or isn't a disorder?

The majority of humans identify as straight.

The majority of gays wouldn't identify as activists.

In the west, the list of mental disorders grows each year. Even losing one's temper can be cited as a disorder now.

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