Homosexuality is not a disease, but homophobia is. Characterized by irrational hatred and fear of homosexuality, it creates hostility, causes harm and can even kill.
On March 29, several gay and gender equality groups went to the Control Yuan to demand the Taipei City government’s impeachment for discriminating against homosexual adolescents after the city’s Department of Education banned school clubs from engaging in gay-related activities.
After the gay community’s protest at Taipei City Hall on March 2, the city government and Taipei City Council said they support and respect homosexuals, and that their intention had been misunderstood. The council had already demonstrated its homophobia, however, in an action that severely restricts homosexual teens.
In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality as a disorder. The late US theorist Eve Sedgwick said in 1998 that this was hypocritical because of a concomitant demand that two conditions be met: A homosexual must be an adult, and homosexuals must behave according to society’s mainstream gender standards. Homosexual men must behave “like men” and homosexual women must behave “like women” to be considered not to be suffering from a disorder. Homophobia was thus rationalized.
In the protest at city hall, the city government’s homophobia was clear, for all their talk about respect and support for homosexuals.
Homophobia first reared its head at a meeting of the city council’s Civil Affairs Committee to review the budget for gay-related activities, when some councilors issued a resolution demanding the city ban such activities at schools up to senior-high level. This resolution, which ignores adolescents’ right to develop their sexuality and violates the Gender Equality in Education Act (性別平等教育法), is a clear expression of homophobia.
The Department of Civil Affairs then sent the council’s illegal resolution unchanged to the Department of Education. This was not very surprising, as homophobia runs deep in that department. In 2006, 2007 and 2008, the Department of Civil Affairs constantly caused trouble by claiming the men in posters for gay events were not masculine enough and the women were not sufficiently feminine to meet public expectations of “normal homosexuals.”
After the protest, the Department of Education — the authority charged with upholding the Gender Equality Education Act — issued two official documents clarifying its position. Preposterously, despite the department’s slighting of homosexuals in the original document, these two official documents repeatedly mentioned “gender equality,” but omitted the word “gay.”
Most homosexual adolescents are left alone on their way to adulthood and have to deal with constant frustrations. They have no support and no way out, and many consider suicide. Some parents even try exorcism or take their children to psychiatrists. They would rather have their children run away from home or even end their lives than accept their homosexuality.
When a cruiser carrying 381 gay people arrived in Taiwan a few days ago, an envious tourist said: “Taiwan is so gay-friendly. We can go to gay bars and have fun all night. We want to make more friends there.”
This is exasperating. These adult homosexuals who think Taiwan is so gay-friendly survived their adolescence, but do they know how difficult that is in Taiwan? Only by surviving adolescence are homosexuals able to enjoy this “gay friendliness” as they become adults.
Wang Ping is secretary-general of the Gender/Sexuality Rights Association Taiwan.
TRANSLATED BY EDDY CHANG
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