GaypeoplearebecominganoticeablesocialpresenceinpartsofthePeople’sRepublicofChina.Thisphenomenonhasyieldedacertainamountofsocialanxiety.Parentsareanxiousthattheironechildwillnotproducegrandchildren;prejudicedpeoplearedisgustedthattwomenortwowomenwouldbecomeintimatewithoneanother;citizensofallsortsfindhomosexualitymysteriousandthereforealittlefrightening.Therearereportsofprivateaswellaspublic“discrimination”againstthesehomosexuals.Assumingthistobetrue,shouldanti-gaydiscriminationbeamatterforsocialorlegalconcern?Ifso,doesexperienceinotherpartsoftheworldsuggestmeasuresthatmightbetakenbythestate?
1.Whatis“discrimination”asappliedtolesbiansandgaymen?
Animportantpreliminaryquestionis:Whatcountsasdiscriminationagainstlesbiansandgaymen?“Discrimination”istreatingsimilarthingsdifferently-ortreatingdifferentthingsthesame.Forexample,homosexualintercoursecannotproducechildren;therefore,thestate’spopulation-controlprogramisproperlylimitedtoheterosexualmarriedorcohabitingcouples.Leavingoutgaymalecouplesisnot“discrimination”againstthem.Otherexclusionsdoconstitutediscrimination,asdopersecutions(thetargetingofaclassofpersonsforspecialpenalties),andsometimesevenafailuretoprotect.Considersomeexamples.
(a)TargetedAnti-GayPersecutionsandViolence.Thesearestatepoliciesvilifyinghomosexualsasasocialthreatandseekingtoidentify,detain,andpurgethesepeoplefromsociety.Manycivilizedcountriestodaywonderwhetherthisisworthseriousdiscussion,butgaypeoplehavebeensubjecttosuchpersecutionsthroughouthumanhistory,especiallyintheWest.Between1945and1970,mostgovernmentsinNorthAmericaandEuropeactivelypersecutedlesbiansandgaymen-arrestingthemforconsensualhomosexualactivities,confiningthemtomentalinstitutionsandprisons,subjectingthesepeopletotortureandexperimentalmedical“treatments”,andseizingtheirprivatecorrespondenceandtheirliterature(Eskridge,1999).Thisisnotonlyanexampleofdiscrimination,butalsoofthewayinwhichdiscriminationcanbepartofalargerprogramofsocialcontrol.