Homosexuality is ‘against tradition and progress,’ gay activist told
Print Edition
A GAY activist in central China is suing the local government after officials refused to register a gay group, telling him that homosexuality is “against the construction of cultural and ideological progress.”
“Xiang Xiaohan” — not his real name — a resident of Changsha in Hunan Province, filed a lawsuit against the Hunan Department of Civil Affairs on Wednesday, accusing the authorities of defamation in their replies to him.
Toward the end of 2013, Xiang made numerous visits to Changsha’s civil affairs bureau to ask about registering a gay organization, but staff told him on each occasion that such groups “could not be registered at the moment.”
Eventually, Xiang asked the civil affairs department for a written explanation for the repeated refusals.
The department replied that organizations should act in accordance with morals.
Gay organizations, which are “against tradition and the construction of cultural and ideological progress,” should not be established, it said.
“That statement is detrimental to the reputation of the gay community,” Xiang said.
He said it should be retracted and the civil affairs department issue an apology.
The department has not yet responded to Xiang’s demands.
Xiang started an online campaign for same-sex rights with friends in 2009, organizing a number of anti-discrimination activities in Changsha.
But the organization has always lacked legal recognition, Xiang said.
He said he hopes the appropriate departments will now proceed with registering gay organizations in Changsha, because “the law does not specifically prohibit it.”
The local court will decide whether to put the case on file within the next seven days.
Homosexuality was removed from the Chinese Classification of Mental Disorders in 2001.
However, conservative attitudes still persist in many aspects of Chinese society.
In some areas, young gay people are forced by their parents to receive medical treatment to try to alter their sexual orientation.
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