Gay Man - the US vs China - Research Paper Example

?Gay Man; U.S vs. China The society plays a major role in determining the life of a person particularly the minority segments of the societies. Throughout the world history, the gay society has always been a minority society. Most gay people say that homosexual feelings come to them naturally and that they have little or no control over such feelings. In some cultures, the gay society or the homosexual feelings are celebrated while in other societies gay people are stigmatized. Gay people are in every society although some societies may try to cover the truth about their existence. The US is among the first countries in the world that have acknowledged the existence of the gay society. In addition, the U S is putting policies in place with prospects of protecting the rights of the gay community. Unlike the US, China has had a dull history regarding its gay community. The subject of homosexuality had been treated as a taboo for a long time in most countries including China. However, the Chinese people are changing their attitude concerning homosexuality. This essay will compare the views of the Chinese and US society in regards to the gay community. In China, Hong Kong is always ahead of the mainland China in terms of information and interactions with the outside world. However, this does not prevent homosexuality from being branded as an illegal behavior in Hong Kong. Until 1991, homosexuality was illegal in Hong Kong. In mainland China, homosexuality was considered both a crime against humanity and a form of mental illness. This indicates that the Chinese gay society was still stigmatized by the community in 1990s. Unlike China, the US has a more liberalized society where people have extreme expectations. the US society acknowledged the existence of Gay community long before the Chinese society acknowledge the gay people are part of every society. In 1997, the Chinese government shot down the hooligan law. This law had been the main source of discrimination against gay society from the Chinese society. Although Chinese people are slowly accepting the existence of gay community in their midst, they are still behind the US community (Lau web). This change can be noted by an increase in the number of self-proclaimed gay communities around the country. China has also recorded an increase in the number of gay people hangouts. There is however, a significant difference between the mainland China and Hong Kong in terms of accepting the existence of the gay community. The existence of special or secluded hangouts for gay people indicates that the Chinese society has not fully accepted the existence of the gay society. Unlike the Chinese society, the US society has high level of tolerance for the gay community. Gay people living in the US are free to mingle and interact with other people who have normal sexual affiliation. However, there are specific joints and hangout that are more popular with the gay society than with the ordinary people. This indicates that the US society has no negative feelings about the gay people. Although the US and China have the biggest economies in the world, the two countries have great variation in terms of access to information and multiculturalism. Most people in United States live in urban areas while China has most of its population living in rural areas. Rural and urban societies have contradicting views towards gay people living in their midst. While people in major cities such as Hong Kong and Beijing have almost accepted the existence and the rights of the gay society, people living in rural areas still live in denial concerning the existence of gay people. A person living in a Chinese village still views homosexuality as mental illness or abnormal behavior. Unlike China, the US society has a homogenous attitude towards the gay community. This indicates that the society has no greatly varying views towards homosexuals and lesbians living in their midst. The main problem that gay people face in any liberalized society is the fact that they are a minority society. This indicates that it is difficult to get two like-minded people from any given population sample. Most gay people living in both China and USA find it difficult to find partners or people who share common interest (David and Gary 56). The availability of the internet has overturned the norms since gay people can find other people with similar interests as theirs. Many Chinese people are now using gay websites such as Gaylink.com and fridae to find information regarding to their status. In the US, availability of gay information in both the electronic and the print media has helped to integrate the gay society with mainstream societies. There has been a varied reaction from the society towards availability of gay information both in the US and in China. Most Chinese believe that availability of gay information lure the young generation into becoming gay. The Chinese people are also calling upon their government to regulate the availability of information particularly information about the gay people. On the other hand, ordinary people living in the United States have no problem with availability of gay information on the internet. The social networks have also played a big role in linking members of the gay community in both countries. However, there has been similar criticism from the two societies. Although the Chinese government has not set the necessary policies to support the rights of gay people in the country, the government has made quick progress in acknowledging the rights of the gay community. A few years ago, the Chinese law enforcers would conduct patrols in major gay hangouts and arrest a large number of men suspected to be gay. Things have now changed greatly since the authorities no longer have the interests of pursuing gay people into their hangouts within the country. The Chinese government is among the few governments around the world that have experienced major turnaround about gay people within a short period. This has similar implication to the Chinese people since they too had to change their attitude regarding the rights of the gay people within a short period. The American society has coexisted with the gay people for a long time. Although American policies support the existence of the gay community, it took the American a longer time to accept the presence of the gay society within their midst. This indicates that the Chinese society has a higher rate of accepting facts about the gay society than the US society. The Chinese people are more religious than people living in the United States are. This difference has varying implications about the life of gay people living the two countries. Most Chinese people practice Buddhism while the US has a multicultural society that has no high affiliation to a particular religion. Issues of religion are well balanced in United States than in China. In China, homosexuality is totally against the religion of the majority. A gay person is therefore, considered a social outcast in regards to the Chinese religion. The negativity attached to homosexuality by the religion has made the society to blame homosexuality as the main cause of modern social ills (Kaye, Julia, and Anne 114). HIV and Aid is among the social ills linked with gay people. In China, most people believe that the gay community is responsible for the spread of the virus. Lack of information and openness about their status has also greatly contributed to the current HIV condition in the country. The conservative nature of the Chinese community has also promoted the current blame on the gay community. The debate about the place of the gay community in the society has remained a controversial issue in most countries. The controversy surrounding the topic is whether gay people should be allowed to integrate with other people or they should be isolated. Gay people consider themselves ordinary people who have the right to lead a normal life like any other ordinary person (Kaye, Julia, and Anne 104). In order to live a fulfilling life, gay people always look forward to finding a partner and possibly settling down in a marriage. Whereas gay marriages have been open in the US, gay marriages in China are kept in secret. In the past gay people have married and even had children with women despite preferring a gay partner. The situation is open in the US since gay a couple can have a legal marriage (US Census Bureau Web). Gay couples that are getting married in the US consider adopting a child to fulfill their matrimonial dreams (Xi Yan web). In China getting married and having children is a dominant lifestyle. This idea has discouraged many gay couples from getting married as their counterpart in the US. Conclusion China and the US are among the world leading countries in terms of economic development and access to information. Although societies in the two countries have major similarities, they have different views towards the gay community. Availability of information about gay people and supportive legal policies in the US has contributed into the integration of the gay community into the mainstream society. The conservative nature of Chinese society has greatly contributed to the stigmatization of gay people living in the country. Gay marriages in the US are a common phenomenon while in China they are conducted in secrecy. The internet has greatly contributed to the linkage of gay couples in both country than any other media or source of information. Works Cited Kaye, Wellings, Julia, Field and Anne, Johnson. National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles. London: Penguin, 2010. Print. David M. Smith, and Gary, Gates. Gay and Lesbian Families in the United States: Same-Sex Unmarried Partner Households. A Preliminary Analysis of 2000 United States Census Data'. New York: Human Rights Campaign, 2001. Print. Xi Yan. Wedding banquet. Imdb. 2010. Web 20, April 2012. Lau, Steff. Homosexuality in China 2010. 2010. UsChina. Web 20, April 2012. US Census Bureau. Census 2000 Special Reports: Married-Couple and Unmarried-Partner Households. Census. 2003. Web 20, April 2012. Read More