(Photo : Bobby Yip / Reuters) A gay parade in Hong Kong


A recent study conducted by Beijing's LGBT Center found that majority of China's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community still deal with emotional problems linked to their sexual orientation despite today's more accepting society.



The survey, conducted online through social media sites, showed that 58.21 percent of homosexual teens and 49.03 percent of homosexual adults experience depression. The NGO said these percentages are significantly higher than the national level for both groups.



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Out of 1,653 participants, 60.61 percent felt the need to change their perception on how they viewed themselves as members of the LGBT community.



Findings also revealed that close to 10 percent of LGBT participants contemplated the idea of "conversion therapies".



Conversion therapies are treatments used to cure and "treat" homosexuals to change their sexual orientation. According to the report, this group experienced increased levels of depression compared to the others.



Director of Research Institute of Gender and Sexuality of Beijing Forestry University, Fang Gang, explained that conversion therapies are results of discrimination in the field of psychological medicine.



John Shen, a mental health program officer with Beijing's LGBT center, said the survey results emphasize the existence of prejudice against the LGBT community. He pointed out that this can be partly attributed to the fact that homosexuality has still not been fully removed from the Chinese Classification of Mental Disorders (CCMD).



The study stressed the importance of increased awareness and consideration from society to support the emotional health of China's LGBT community.



As discrimination and prejudice persist in China's society, many members of the LGBT community refuse to seek professional help for fear of being exposed. Research fellow of the Institute of Psychology, Jiang Lan, said this is one of the problems that also contribute to the depressed state of China's LGBTs.



Members of LGBT support groups are of the same mind that increased government participation is needed to support the mental state of homosexuals and to urge the Chinese people to be more open in their acceptance of homosexuals.



Shen pointed out that society must show love, respect and understanding because LGBTs are still human beings, just like the rest of us.

