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| image source：https://www.vice.com/en/article/93bnnp/gay-kiss-singapore-news-cna-beijing-winter-olympics |
Such online carnivals about the sensitive topic are rare in East Asia because of a long history of censorship and the cultural suppression. The online carnivals is temporary, but the suppression targeting to the LGBTQ+ community is lasting. According to F&M Global Barometers, until 2019, the regional score of gay rights in Asia is categorized as F 42%. Inspired by the competition among countries in the Winter Olympics, the blog will analyze and compare three East Asian countries/regions towards the homosexual community culturally and politically.
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| image source: https://www.fandmglobalbarometers.org/ |
China: Entangling in gender roles and the diminishing activism
In China, the low tolerance towards homosexuality comes from the rejection of the majority of public opinion and the government's regulations in response to public opinion. In terms of public opinion, the important gender role is emphasized in the traditional culture. And the gender rule with a long history comes from Confucianism, as the most important and fundamental idea. In Confucianism, the male represents Yang, and the female represents Yin. And the combination between Yin and Yang formed the balance in the universe. However, the concept of the gay community breaks YinYang's balance and questions the foundation of Chinese philosophy. It is difficult for Chinese people to digest the ideas of “sexual identity” or “sexual orientation” since its foundation of culture is built up by Confucianism.
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| image source: https://www.fandmglobalbarometers.org/ |
In terms of regulations from the Chinese government, the analysis should be focused on two levels. For the individuals, the government will not forbid the freedom of speech. For the public, following the public opinions, the government will not provide a public platform for advocating the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. In 2019, Shanghai’s long-running LGBT pride festival was being canceled. However, aiming to reinforce the belief to the Party, this policy is not only targeting the LGBTQ+ community. The activism behaviors are very strictly regulated. Vulnerable groups such as feminist, ethnic minority community, and religious group has been muted. Thus, the regulation of boarder atmosphere on activism impacts the the freedom expression on the LGBTQ+ topic and exacerbates the misunderstanding of homosexuality in society.
Taiwan: the exception and the further
In the same year that the Shanghai gay parade was cancelled, Taiwan legalizes the same-sex marriage as the first country in Asia. Taiwan also faces opposition from many conservatives on the way to legalizing the same-sex marriage. However, there are three factors that make Taiwan become the head of Asian country. First, culturally, Taiwan is more tolerant with the benefit on large population of having the study abroad experience. Although both are influenced by Confucianism, Taiwan has the higher percentage on receiving the higher education level, especially from the Western. Since 1990s, more and more Taiwaness middle class families would have chance to send their children to the Western countries. These students have a chance to absorb Western perspectives and bring them back to Taiwan for dissemination. Second, the government supports propaganda on social platforms. In Taiwan, the media are not regulated by its government and they act as a medium to promote the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. Different from China, NGOs and gay marches can be held legally. Minorities can have places to voice out and educate the public. The third point is the Taiwan's political system and its special relationship with China. Due to the intensive political party competition, the DPP (Democratic Progressive Party) needs to attract younger generation, so they wrote the LGBTQ+ community rights that young people care about into their party tasks. From 2006, the DPP proposed the same-sex marriage law, and to 2019, the bill was officially passed. The DPP has been operating in this law for 13 years. Healthy partisanship brings more possibilities for inclusion in this country, since both parties would consider what the citizens’ preference. In this way, the LGBTQ+ community can be represented and protected. Moreover, Taiwan urgently needs to prove itself to the world and draw a line from China. As the first Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage, this change is the great opportunity to prove itself to the world. At the same time, compared with China's conservative policies, Taiwan's progressive ideology towards to the homosexuality is highlighted, so it is easy to draw a clear line with China. To sum up, benign party disputes, foreign education, and open social platforms have accelerated the process of same-sex marriage in Taiwan.
However, after 2019, Taiwan has not officially introduced more gay-friendly policies. Even if the legality of same-sex marriage is recognized, the society is deeply affected by the gender rules in Confucianism, and only more than half of the people can accept the legalization of same-sex marriage. Therefore, it is necessary for Taiwan to further implement the law to the social level, but such progress is difficult to complete in a short time.
Singapore: facing the external pressure
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| image source: https://www.fandmglobalbarometers.org/ |
Similar to Taiwan, Singapore's high education and relatively liberal social platform have always been the pride of its citizens. However, Singapore's index of the gay rights is in line with China’s. Singaporean government has no position on the LGBTQ+ community for the long tome. Two reasons that keep Singapore behind are the political system and strained neighbor relations. Singapore only has one ruling party, People's Action Party (PAP). Without the pressure on attracting more votes, PAP does not need to engage with the younger generations by reacting to the gay-friendly appeal. The other factor is the serious international relationship. The historical tension between Singapore and Malaysia has made Singapore very cautious about policymaking. As a Muslim country, Malaysia stands firmly against the rights of the LGBTQ+ group. Once Singapore has implement the gay-friend policy, Malaysia will consider it as the signal of challenge. And the relations with Malaysia will be very rigid.
Due to space constraints, I can only give an overview of the three East Asian countries in terms of culture and political system. I intend to provide multiple perspectives on the analysis of attitudes towards LGBTQ+ community in East Asia and reflections based on the complexity of local cultures.
Culturally, these countries are deeply influenced by Confucianism, so the public cannot accept the LGBTQ+ community from its root. In terms of political system, the policy making of the three countries is influenced by various factors like public opinion and political system.
Accepting the LGBTQ+ community is not just about the emancipation of one group, but about the emancipation of all the vulnerable groups. There will never be a single emancipation of a minority, what we seek is an atmosphere in which society as a whole tends towards progress and openness.
Accepting the LGBTQ+ community is not just about the emancipation of one group, but about the emancipation of all the vulnerable groups. There will never be a single emancipation of a minority, what we seek is an atmosphere in which society as a whole tends towards progress and openness.
Bibliography
Cheng, N., Henry, M., & Kim, S. (2021, September 25). The resilience of East Asia's LGBTQ community. – The Diplomat. Retrieved February 9, 2022, from https://thediplomat.com/2021/09/the-resilience-of-east-asias-lgbtq-community/
Ewe, K. (n.d.). A report on the Olympics went viral after unintentionally bypassing censorship. VICE. Retrieved February 9, 2022, from https://www.vice.com/en/article/93bnnp/gay-kiss-singapore-news-cna-beijing-winter-olympics
F&M global barometers. F&M Global Barometers. (2021, November 10). Retrieved February 9, 2022, from https://www.fandmglobalbarometers.org/
Industry news: Singapore and Malaysia in territorial dispute *update*. UK flag. (n.d.). Retrieved February 9, 2022, from https://www.nepia.com/industry-news/singapore-and-malaysia-in-territorial-dispute-update/
Wang, S. Y. (2021, July 15). Unfinished revolution: An overview of three decades of LGBT activism in China. Made in China Journal. Retrieved February 9, 2022, from https://madeinchinajournal.com/2021/07/15/unfinished-revolution-an-overview-of-three-decades-of-lgbt-activism-in-china/
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