Gay and Lesbian in Their Eyes

To better understand Chinese students perspectives
toward their gay and lesbian peers, interviews were
conducted in a Chinese university. The participants
did not believe that gay and lesbian people fit into
Chinese society; however, they are becoming more open
and tolerant on gay and lesbian issues in recent
years because of the influence of technological
innovation, media, and Western culture. The findings
suggest a degree of acceptance of gays and lesbians
though the participants simultaneously distanced
themselves from their homosexual peers. They
perceived the university to be a safe place for gay
and lesbian students in the sense that nobody would
hurt them, but they did not see the university as a
welcoming place. The interview transcripts were
analyzed within a Chinese cultural and social
context. Offering a realistic picture of heterosexual
students perspectives might encourage them to reduce
discrimination against their gay and lesbian peers,
and to create a better learning environment for both
heterosexual and homosexual students.

Autorentext

Jinjie Wang, Master of Education: Educational Foundations at
University of Saskatchewan. Canada.

Klappentext

To better understand Chinese students' perspectives
toward their gay and lesbian peers, interviews were
conducted in a Chinese university. The participants
did not believe that gay and lesbian people fit into
Chinese society; however, they are becoming more open
and tolerant on gay and lesbian issues in recent
years because of the influence of technological
innovation, media, and Western culture. The findings
suggest a degree of acceptance of gays and lesbians
though the participants simultaneously distanced
themselves from their homosexual peers. They
perceived the university to be a safe place for gay
and lesbian students in the sense that nobody would
hurt them, but they did not see the university as a
welcoming place. The interview transcripts were
analyzed within a Chinese cultural and social
context. Offering a realistic picture of heterosexual
students' perspectives might encourage them to reduce
discrimination against their gay and lesbian peers,
and to create a better learning environment for both
heterosexual and homosexual students.