Though Taiwan is more gay-friendly than some of its neighboring countries (like mainland China) and is home to the largest Pride parade in Asia (50,000 attended last October’s event), a new study by the Gender/Sexuality Rights Association of Taiwan (GSRAT) found that 30% of the nation’s LGBT population has considered suicide and 18% have actually attempted it, reports Dawn.com.
“Taiwan is not that open towards homosexuality,’ said GSRAT’s Wang Ping. “[Schools] can be very unfriendly. It’s common that gay students are excluded and ridiculed so they feel lonely and under stress.” Of the 2,785 people polled, nearly 60% reported being targets of violence, harassment or sexual abuse—mostly during adolescence, when suicide attempts were highest as well.
Plans to include a LGBT-inclusive curriculum were canceled last year after complaints from conservative Christian groups.
Jeremy
Being Asian means you rely a lot on people around you. You want to blend in to be accepted, not to be isolated. People says Asian are generally happier than others, but only if you are not “different”. I don’t see any bright side of the life tunnel when I’m walking as an Asian gay man. The only thing that’s keeping me alive is the question of who’s gonna take care of my parents after I die.