First off, please, I am not trying to offend anyone, just trying to have an open discussion. Please keep in mind the type of responses you post. Please be respectful.
So, I've become aware and interested in this topic. I saw someone post about there not being a second season to Addicted the Chinese or taiwanese series. This made me look up articles about sexuality in Asia. I found some stuff, however, I was not brought up/raised, have friends from such countries or lived there, therefore, my view is narrow. I would like to know what you guys know about sex in Asia, in any country.
In Japan, I read that they have this day where they celebrate with a giant penis, but have arrested an female artist that her artwork revolves around vaginas. Moreover, they have all sex scenes in movies, affairs with teachers, gay anime and adults fangirling about highschool girls, but in the surface they seem righteous, and that they would never do that.
In Thailand (I think it is), I've seen many men dressed as women. From what I've seen in T.V. it's normal?!
In Korea and China, I've read that there are many homosexuals that are somehow forced to marry as heterosexuals and have secret affairs with same sex people. Moreover, idols/celebrities do these skits that involve male to male kisses, but somehow they don't tolerate if their idols are actually gay? (In my opinion: this is such a contradiction).
For me, it is so weird to have all these contradictions. I wonder what are the psychological effects that these people (the ones that have to hide the truth) are suffering. (FYI: I am not a psycology major, that's why I would like your opinion).
I wonder how the hetereosexual person married to the homosexual person would feel after realizing their partner's sexual orientation. What about if they have kids?
I think there has to be a research to be conducted here. These people force to hide their sexual desires somehow carry out (what it seem like) normal lives. I would love to know the effects to them and to their offspring.
Do you think with future generations this perception would change (being against homosexuals)?
Oh, lastly, before I forget, I think I read or heard somewhere, that many Asians countries blame homosexuality to American/Western Countries? Do you think that is so?
Sorry for writing so much, but I'm trying to broaden my view. I would like to know your opinion.
I don't know much about this topic but I must say thank you for bringing this up! This is very important thing and I have also thought about this often.
I can give you my opinion regarding to the future generations. I think that people opinion on homosexuals/sexuality will change. New generations are way more open minded than people used to (At least what I have experienced). But I think it'll take some time because well it's in the community in Asia. It's not so easy or quick to change the traditional way to think, stereotypes, prejudges, etc.
I can give you my opinion regarding to the future generations. I think that people opinion on homosexuals/sexuality will change. New generations are way more open minded than people used to (At least what I have experienced). But I think it'll take some time because well it's in the community in Asia. It's not so easy or quick to change the traditional way to think, stereotypes, prejudges, etc.
Yes. I understand that there are broad range of people and not trying to put them in this one category. T
There's another aspect of it which is the Internet and people in forums that believe that they can say anything because its a virtual world. I mean if something happens (e.g. something minor) they (internet people) turn it to this scandal which forces celebrities, agencies and advertisement sponsor to take "real life" actions.
Another point is that I feel that maybe in those societies people might hide behind double lives. I just want to do research. Like actual backed up by science research, you know?
I know tv is not a real depiction of people/country/culture, but it has certain elements that portrays the culture. E.g. Latin America, they are in the frenzy of dramas depicting drug lords and their lives. I really don't get it... You've got Pablo Escobar, La Reina del Sur, El Sr. de los cielos & centauro, all these dramas depict actual drug lords and fans/watchers want more. They don't want other dramas. They are very popular and extending their episodes from 80 episodes to 150 episodes or so. [FYI: this is why I watch other dramas from other countries]
There's another aspect of it which is the Internet and people in forums that believe that they can say anything because its a virtual world. I mean if something happens (e.g. something minor) they (internet people) turn it to this scandal which forces celebrities, agencies and advertisement sponsor to take "real life" actions.
Another point is that I feel that maybe in those societies people might hide behind double lives. I just want to do research. Like actual backed up by science research, you know?
I know tv is not a real depiction of people/country/culture, but it has certain elements that portrays the culture. E.g. Latin America, they are in the frenzy of dramas depicting drug lords and their lives. I really don't get it... You've got Pablo Escobar, La Reina del Sur, El Sr. de los cielos & centauro, all these dramas depict actual drug lords and fans/watchers want more. They don't want other dramas. They are very popular and extending their episodes from 80 episodes to 150 episodes or so. [FYI: this is why I watch other dramas from other countries]
Edit: Wow I forgot Singapore and China gimme a sec.
I think your question has to do with what is the general social climate on these issues, right? Sounds like a sociology and anthropological survey. I think the Worlds Value Survey is probably you're best shot at it.
http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/WVSOnline.jsp
That's the website, here's the data I found. This data was taken between the years of 2010-2014. There is data that is available through them that goes older than that, and there will likely be new data for it in future years. To get a better understanding of the data, I recommend looking through the website. They also explain on it what demographic groups were used in the studies if you're concerned about the bias of the sample.
On the topic: V40 "Would not like to have as neighbors: Homosexuals"
40.8% Taiwan
33.5% Hong Kong
79.8% South Korea
58.7% Malaysia
27.9% Philippines
39.8% Thailand
52.7% China
31.6% Singapore
Japan was not asked.
On the topic: V43 "Would not like to have as neighbors: Unmarried couples living together"
12.3% Taiwan
17.5% Hong Kong
21.4% Japan
50.6% S.Korea
52.3% Malaysia
21.6% Philippines
18.3% Thailand
17.0% China
15.1% Singapore
V203 "Justifiable: Homosexuality" on a 0-10 scale, 0 being never justifiable, and 10 being always justifiable:
Taiwan|Never: 23.5% | 5: 5.2% | Always: 7.1%
Hong Kong|Never: 28.4% | 5: 22.7% | Always: 5%
Japan|Never: 17.6% | 5: 16.9% | Always: 11.8%
South Korea|Never: 42.2% | 5: 14.4% | Always: 2.4%
Malaysia|Never: 60.5% | 5:10.5% | Always: .6%
Philippines| Never: 31.1% | 5: 20.5% | Always: 3.1%
Thailand|Never 46.3% | 5: 12.8% | Always: 2.1%
China|Never: 49.4% |5: 3.2% | Always: 1.9%
Singapore|Never: 30.3% |5: 19.1% | Always: 2.1%
(There was also Prostitution, Abortion, and Divorce but this is a lot to type up so I'm gonna skip to "Sex before marriage"
"Justifiable: Sex Before Marriage"
Taiwan|Never: 12.2% | 5: 19.4% | Always: 5.7%
Hong Kong|Never: 21.4% | 5: 28.2% | Always: 3.9%
Japan|Never: 8.2% | 5: 19.6% | Always: 15.7%
South Korea|Never: 29.2% | 5: 19.4% | Always: 3.1%
Malaysia|Never: 59.8% | 5:9.5% | Always: 2.8%
Philippines| Never: 38.3% | 5: 16.2% | Always: 13.2%
Thailand|Never 41.5% | 5: 15.0% | Always: 2.7%
China|Never: 30.0% | 5:6.9% | Always: 3.4%
Singapore|Never: 22.9% | 5: 22.8% | Always:1.8%
I hope this is useful!
I think your question has to do with what is the general social climate on these issues, right? Sounds like a sociology and anthropological survey. I think the Worlds Value Survey is probably you're best shot at it.
http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/WVSOnline.jsp
That's the website, here's the data I found. This data was taken between the years of 2010-2014. There is data that is available through them that goes older than that, and there will likely be new data for it in future years. To get a better understanding of the data, I recommend looking through the website. They also explain on it what demographic groups were used in the studies if you're concerned about the bias of the sample.
On the topic: V40 "Would not like to have as neighbors: Homosexuals"
40.8% Taiwan
33.5% Hong Kong
79.8% South Korea
58.7% Malaysia
27.9% Philippines
39.8% Thailand
52.7% China
31.6% Singapore
Japan was not asked.
On the topic: V43 "Would not like to have as neighbors: Unmarried couples living together"
12.3% Taiwan
17.5% Hong Kong
21.4% Japan
50.6% S.Korea
52.3% Malaysia
21.6% Philippines
18.3% Thailand
17.0% China
15.1% Singapore
V203 "Justifiable: Homosexuality" on a 0-10 scale, 0 being never justifiable, and 10 being always justifiable:
Taiwan|Never: 23.5% | 5: 5.2% | Always: 7.1%
Hong Kong|Never: 28.4% | 5: 22.7% | Always: 5%
Japan|Never: 17.6% | 5: 16.9% | Always: 11.8%
South Korea|Never: 42.2% | 5: 14.4% | Always: 2.4%
Malaysia|Never: 60.5% | 5:10.5% | Always: .6%
Philippines| Never: 31.1% | 5: 20.5% | Always: 3.1%
Thailand|Never 46.3% | 5: 12.8% | Always: 2.1%
China|Never: 49.4% |5: 3.2% | Always: 1.9%
Singapore|Never: 30.3% |5: 19.1% | Always: 2.1%
(There was also Prostitution, Abortion, and Divorce but this is a lot to type up so I'm gonna skip to "Sex before marriage"
"Justifiable: Sex Before Marriage"
Taiwan|Never: 12.2% | 5: 19.4% | Always: 5.7%
Hong Kong|Never: 21.4% | 5: 28.2% | Always: 3.9%
Japan|Never: 8.2% | 5: 19.6% | Always: 15.7%
South Korea|Never: 29.2% | 5: 19.4% | Always: 3.1%
Malaysia|Never: 59.8% | 5:9.5% | Always: 2.8%
Philippines| Never: 38.3% | 5: 16.2% | Always: 13.2%
Thailand|Never 41.5% | 5: 15.0% | Always: 2.7%
China|Never: 30.0% | 5:6.9% | Always: 3.4%
Singapore|Never: 22.9% | 5: 22.8% | Always:1.8%
I hope this is useful!
I know that you also asked about the psychological impact of having to repress sexuality if it isn't heterosexual, I'm not sure if there is a survey on that but there are probably case studies of individuals. Maybe looking at the South Korean ministry of health?
Wow I totally skimmed ur thing, going to answer more now lol
So I think future generations will see a change in this conservatism towards sexuality. I don't think it'll be eradicated though. Why? Well just look at patterns of history. Women's rights are a great example. Often times, women's rights in various countries are addressed and then there are movements to bring equality. After some legal motions are made to ensure equality, everyone thinks it's okay and there is a wave of women's sexual desires no longer being shameful, and then there are women leaders (or sometimes the other way around). But there are usually still many instances of systematic inequality between men and women (this is not addressing the unique inequalities between non-binary and/or transgender individuals and the general cisgendered population). This isn't to say that this is the case for all cultures. So basically, my analogy here is to say, yeah there will be a bunch of equality movements and an increase in the general acceptance of non-heterosexual sexuality, but homophobia likely won't be eradicated.
Also, I definitely would not say that homosexuality is a Western idea. If you take a look at East Asian history, you'll find instances of homosexuality before Western imperialism. In terms of gender, India is probably the best example. The holy hijras, who go by a third gender,existed before Western influences and then were suppressed to fit the European ideal of the gender binary, forcing hijras to go into hiding.
I haven't read the whole thing, but this is a paper that looks into the history of homosexuality in East Asia, and how it wasn't outlawed until Westerners pressured them to make laws against it.
http://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?ar...
The history of homosexuality in Japan
https://www.tofugu.com/japan/gay-samurai/
Puyi, a gay emperor of China
http://www.gayexplained.com/puyi-the-gay-last-empe...
This article specifically tries to answer your question "Behind the Myth: Are Gay Koreans a Product of Western Culture?"
http://www.gwangjunewsgic.com/online/behind-the-my...
Again I haven't read these, but I think I would like to come back and do so. Thanks for giving me this opportunity! (So I just read the last link and it was pretty intersting and gave a some examples of pre-western homosexuality in the royal and noble class.)
Edit:
Also, about people marrying to "hide their identity" I think it's also important to realize not everyone does it for that purpose. For example, I know this one guy who didn't realize he was gay until he was already married. He's still married to his wife but is out as a gay man. Some people do, of course, marry to hide that they are gay, but it isn't always so obvious for people that they are gay. Sometimes people don't realize they're gay until they meet someone who makes their heart skip a beat, and just assume they should marry heterosexual people they have close relationships with. Some people may marry their heterosexual friends for insurance reasons or other legal benefits of getting married. Just something to think about.
Wow I totally skimmed ur thing, going to answer more now lol
So I think future generations will see a change in this conservatism towards sexuality. I don't think it'll be eradicated though. Why? Well just look at patterns of history. Women's rights are a great example. Often times, women's rights in various countries are addressed and then there are movements to bring equality. After some legal motions are made to ensure equality, everyone thinks it's okay and there is a wave of women's sexual desires no longer being shameful, and then there are women leaders (or sometimes the other way around). But there are usually still many instances of systematic inequality between men and women (this is not addressing the unique inequalities between non-binary and/or transgender individuals and the general cisgendered population). This isn't to say that this is the case for all cultures. So basically, my analogy here is to say, yeah there will be a bunch of equality movements and an increase in the general acceptance of non-heterosexual sexuality, but homophobia likely won't be eradicated.
Also, I definitely would not say that homosexuality is a Western idea. If you take a look at East Asian history, you'll find instances of homosexuality before Western imperialism. In terms of gender, India is probably the best example. The holy hijras, who go by a third gender,existed before Western influences and then were suppressed to fit the European ideal of the gender binary, forcing hijras to go into hiding.
I haven't read the whole thing, but this is a paper that looks into the history of homosexuality in East Asia, and how it wasn't outlawed until Westerners pressured them to make laws against it.
http://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?ar...
The history of homosexuality in Japan
https://www.tofugu.com/japan/gay-samurai/
Puyi, a gay emperor of China
http://www.gayexplained.com/puyi-the-gay-last-empe...
This article specifically tries to answer your question "Behind the Myth: Are Gay Koreans a Product of Western Culture?"
http://www.gwangjunewsgic.com/online/behind-the-my...
Again I haven't read these, but I think I would like to come back and do so. Thanks for giving me this opportunity! (So I just read the last link and it was pretty intersting and gave a some examples of pre-western homosexuality in the royal and noble class.)
Edit:
Also, about people marrying to "hide their identity" I think it's also important to realize not everyone does it for that purpose. For example, I know this one guy who didn't realize he was gay until he was already married. He's still married to his wife but is out as a gay man. Some people do, of course, marry to hide that they are gay, but it isn't always so obvious for people that they are gay. Sometimes people don't realize they're gay until they meet someone who makes their heart skip a beat, and just assume they should marry heterosexual people they have close relationships with. Some people may marry their heterosexual friends for insurance reasons or other legal benefits of getting married. Just something to think about.
When I read your post I thought about this video I saw a while back. It's about Japan so I wouldn't say it represents the whole Asia sentiment but it's still interesting.
I've seen a few Thai dramas/movies with gay/trans characters in them and from what I could tell society seems to accept them a lot better than in other Asian countries (once again, I'm talking about the shows here, I don't know about their actual thoughts) but they're presented as comic relief characters (especially trans people) which is apparently what also happens in Japan with gay men.
I think the closeted gay marrying someone in order to hide their orientation and be able to lead a "normal life" is a serious subject that doesn't only occur in Asia but I would assume it is more normal there since there's not much tolerance for queer people.
Regarding South Korea I have no idea what is up with them considering how much they love dressing men up as women and they adore them showing skinship but whenever the gay word surfaces everyone looks the other way.
Hopefully things will start to change, I remember reading articles showing that younger people tend to be more accepting of the lgbtq+ community and the problem lies mostly with older generations (which is to be expected) so that's nice.
Edit: I forgot to mention that China banned gay-related content from TV so it's been very hard for some shows to air/continue.
I think the closeted gay marrying someone in order to hide their orientation and be able to lead a "normal life" is a serious subject that doesn't only occur in Asia but I would assume it is more normal there since there's not much tolerance for queer people.
Regarding South Korea I have no idea what is up with them considering how much they love dressing men up as women and they adore them showing skinship but whenever the gay word surfaces everyone looks the other way.
Hopefully things will start to change, I remember reading articles showing that younger people tend to be more accepting of the lgbtq+ community and the problem lies mostly with older generations (which is to be expected) so that's nice.
Edit: I forgot to mention that China banned gay-related content from TV so it's been very hard for some shows to air/continue.
Recent Discussions
-
Xiang Liu and Xiao Yao’s Story and Romance6 minutes ago - HeadInTheClouds
-
Tushan Jing and Xiao Yao, here's to a Happily Ever After12 minutes ago - dtsj_sapphire
-
BL Drama Lovers Club21 minutes ago - American Fan
-
Fan Fiction Thread for Lost You Forever35 minutes ago - nathsketch
-
Korean BL (KBL) discussion thread41 minutes ago - Chun Mo Rionnag
-
Amazing Grace. - Foe or Friend ?44 minutes ago - PlayfulK
-
RATE the KPop singer above you......1 hour ago - dramalover030902
Hottest Discussions
-
♥️Count to 7000000♥️2 hours ago
-
10 dramas/movies with ____? #42 hours ago
-
The ALPHABET Game [drama /movie version]25 minutes ago
-
Change 1 letter to make a new word #223 minutes ago
-
The GIF Train! ----> (Rules on page #1)3 hours ago
-
✰ Last letter food game ✰1 hour ago
-
Would You Rather...1 hour ago
-
♡Last letter of a country / town game♡1 hour ago
