Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION The Anywhere Machine "Why I Stay Closeted in Asia"

http://www.buzzfeed.com/connorkemuo/why-i-stay-closeted-in-asia

Here's a very insightful article into the life of a gay man from Taiwan who lives in the USA.

As an Asian myself, and one who shares Chinese descent with the author, I can say this is very true even now.

I wonder though - is it worse in Asia than, say, in the Americas or Europe? I'm sure some individuals in these places have had similar (or worse) experiences than the author did. Conversely, some people in Asia have better experiences and more liberal families.

And again, not all Asian cultures are equal. I think East Asian (Chinese and Japanese) and Middle Eastern countries might have it harder than, say, Thailand.

A well-written article. (Haven't been over to buzzfeed in ages, so thanks for the reminder that it still exists.) But really damn sad.

Well, it wasn't too long ago that here in the United States gay people moved thousands of miles away from where they grew up so they could live openly. Now you have parents celebrating their gay kids. And also their transgendered kids.

I was looking and it seems like PFLAG (Parents & Friends of Lesbians and Gays) only has chapters in the US. I think it has been groups like PFLAG that has changed a lot of the attitudes towards gay people. It didn't seem like there is a similar group in the Philippines though. Further searching. There are PFLAG groups in Australia and China. http://community.pflag.org/intlpflag

I think it's related to the communal aspect of Asian cultures. A lot of cultures (Japanese, for example) find it very important to not bother your neighbors and to fit in with the crowd.



Thanks for sharing, Quis I think things will change in time, but given this deep-seated aspect of many Asian cultures it will take quite a bit of time!

Unfortunately it seems to be going the other way in Russia. So much for progress.

http://articles.washingtonpost.com/...ochi-russia-anti-gay-law-olympic-boycott

On the plus side, Russia got Wentworth Miller to come out!

An in-depth look into LGBT rights in Southeast Asia.

I should be thankful that the Philippines is one of the more tolerant countries. Look at Brunei! Still have a long way to go, though.

When I studied abroad (and it is probably still the case), homosexuality was illegal in China. The one time I went to the club in Nanjing, one of my classmates got extremely drunk and started saying things that implied his homosexuality. We had to drag him out of the building out of fear of what security could do.

Whew! Glad he made it out okay.

Asia in general has a long way to go. I have met so many gay men who don't dare come out at all.