Part I Experiences of being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex in the Asia Pacific Chapter 2: Being lesbian, gay and bisexual in the Asia Pacific KEY QUESTIONS • Who are lesbian, gay and bisexual people in the Asia Pacific? • How do people experience living and relating as lesbian, gay and bisexual? • What are the issues and concerns for lesbian, gay and bisexual people? • How does the law treat them? • Are they able to live their lives in dignity, safety and equality? • Are they able to enjoy all their human rights? 2.1. INTRODUCTION Lesbian, gay and bisexual people live in the Asia Pacific region as they live in any other region. Some identify as ‘lesbian’ or ‘gay’ or ‘bisexual’ but many do not. Many simply live their lives, feeling attracted to others of the same sex or having one or more same sex relationships but not identifying with any particular sexual orientation or any particular sexual identity. Others may use a variety of different terms to describe their sexual orientation. These may include reclaimed terms that have previously been considered to be derogatory (such as ‘queer’) and/or culturally or linguistically specific terms. In the region, ‘gay’ is sometimes used to refer to both gay men and lesbians. This usage can make women invisible and ignore their distinctive experiences. In some countries there is no word for ‘gay’ and in other cultures being ‘gay’ or ‘lesbian’ is seen as a Western phenomenon.72 In this chapter, we use ‘lesbian, gay and bisexual’ in reference not only to those who identify as gay or lesbian or bisexual but also to those who are attracted to or have a sexual relationship with someone of the same sex. That person may also be transgender or intersex.73 There is no reliable data to indicate what proportion of the world’s population or the Asia Pacific’s population is lesbian, gay or bisexual. Many studies have been undertaken but the results vary widely due to different definitions, measures and research methodologies.74 There is no evidence that lesbian, gay and bisexual people constitute a greater or lesser proportion of the total population in the Asia Pacific region than in any other region and there is no reason to believe that they do. 72 Pacific Sexual Diversity Network, Diverse Voices for Action and Equality and ARC International “Our Voices, our Communities, our Rights: Advancing Human Rights related to Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity & Expression in the Pacific”, Report of the Pacific LGBTQI Human Rights Conference, Nuku’alofa, Tonga, 11-14 May 2015, p. 16; at http://arc-international.net/wp-content/ uploads/2015/09/SOGIHR-Report-final.pdf. 73 Some lesbian, gay and bisexual people, including those who are transgender or intersex, prefer to use broader sexual orientation terms that recognise there are more than two ‘opposite’ sexes or gender identities. Examples include the generic word ‘queer’ or the term ‘pansexual’. 74 In statistical research on the number or proportion of people who are lesbian, gay and bisexual, the results depend on whether the question asks about sexual attraction, sexual behaviour or sexual identity, with attraction levels being higher than those who act on that attraction and identity being the lowest figure. See F. Pega, A. Gray, J. F. Veale, D. Binson and R.L. Sell, ‘Toward Global Comparability of Sexual Orientation Data in Official Statistics: A Conceptual Framework of Sexual Orientation for Health Data Collection in New Zealand’s Official Statistics System’, Journal of Environmental and Public Health, 2013: 473451; at www.ncbi.nlm. nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3694548/. The results in a number of studies vary from two per cent to 17% of the population, a very large range: Statistics New Zealand, Considering Sexual Orientation as a Potential Official Statistic: Discussion paper, July 2008, p. 7. Chapter 2: Being lesbian, gay and bisexual in the Asia Pacific | 27