Topic: LGBT Rights
Country: China
Delegate Name: Ximena Sandoval Mayen
School: Instituto Educativo Olinca
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All China position papers GLIMUN 2018 committees
The topic of LGBT rights in China is deeply complex. The biggest part of society has problems condoning this community and it is a very sensitive topic; therefore, throughout history it has never been a publicly treated topic since it is hard to approach. However there is a large community throughout the nation and this has caught the government's attention; especially since the HIV rate started to grow amongst homosexual males. Awareness about HIV has started due to the Western influence in China and its exponential growth in homosexual men; however, the awareness process has slower pace for lesbians.
Tradition, being so relevant within the communities, makes it hard for any type of minorities to be included. One of those traditions that is still very strong is filial piety: respecting and obeying your ancestors. This concept makes it even harder for young Chinese citizens to have a say in their future choices as well as sexual orientation. Moreover, thanks to the One Child Law, producing offspring is very important to families; given that same sex couples are not legally allowed to adopt a child, it is not approved by most families.
It has never been technically illegal to be homosexual; however, an anti-hooliganism law that once existed was used to intimidate gay men. This law did not apply for lesbians, however, due to the fact a sexual relationship without a male was not considered valid. The abolition of this law in 1997, was seen as a big milestone for the community; however, despite the fact that there have been advances, the existence of transgender people continues be a taboo in Chinese society, while they struggle the most to cope with emotional and health issues due to limited resources.
When there is a general dislike from society towards a certain group, there is not much a government can do in order to change their point of view, especially with fully-grown adults. China plans to act as in previous years to educate its population about illnesses such as HIV, and raise awareness about LGBT rights; besides working to fill all the legal loopholes. Despite these efforts, we can not force anyone to think differently; China will try and educate gently step by step. An issue like this can not be tackled all at once, but as part of a global community, and with our avid wish to make the country the best, we can take small steps to pave the way to achieve equality.
