College textbooks that Qiu Bai says discriminate against gay people. (Photo/Courtesy of Qiu Bai)
Unfriendly environment
GUFS is not the only school that has a negative attitude toward LGBT students. According to Dou Dou, it is quite common for LGBT-themed activities to get shut down and for LGBT students to get insulted and exposed.
Xiao Qi, herself a lesbian trans woman, sometimes feels that people become unfriendly toward her after they learn about her gender identity.
"A teacher scolded me to my face, saying that I look too much like a girl, saying I look neither male nor female," said Xiao Qi. "For students who are still at the stage of exploring their identity, being scolded by a teacher like that could make them believe they are diseased and turn to 'treatment'."
Assigned male at birth, Xiao Qi, now 24, has identified as a girl since a young age, but she dared not to express her feelings out of fear of being laughed at. It was not until 2015 that she decided to accept herself. "But I seldom explain this to my classmates. It is hard to explain and some just don't listen," said Xiao Qi.
In May 2015, a professor surnamed Luo from Sun Yat-sen University commented on WeChat that "gay people are abnormal" and said that sexual intercourse between gay individuals is "abnormal and disgusting."
Since Qiu Bai started her legal efforts to "correct" descriptions of gay people on textbooks, college staff have been trying to persuade her to stop.
"They told me frankly that the whole thing, particularly my identity as a lesbian, will affect the reputation of the university," she told the Global Times.
A teacher responded that as teachers they respect Qiu Bai's rights and they informed her parents about the lawsuit because they didn't want to see her studies be affected, rather than to deliberately out her.
According to Qiu Bai, even though students in top universities like Sun Yat-sen University are relatively open about LGBT issues, the schools themselves are generally against students holding high-profile events to do with LGBT issues.
According to a 2012 report by the Aibai Culture and Education Center, among the polled 421 students, four fifths of whom identified themselves as either gay or bisexual, 77 percent said they had suffered bullying based on their sexual or gender orientation, with 7.6 percent of them suffering from sexual harassment from classmates and teachers.
"As I learned from frontline teachers, at least half of the bullying cases in school are related to sexual orientation," said Dou Dou.
A survey of gay Chinese people's psychological health published in May 2014 shows that, due to a lack of education and social support, LGBT people are three times more likely to suffer from depression than average.
"When suicides happen, a school should think how to prevent it rather than simply covering it up," said Dou Dou, "It is a pity if a student left the world and nothing changes."
Not for open talk
There is no officially permitted student association devoted to LGBT issues in Guangzhou University.
Dou Dou observes, on the one hand, administrators lack knowledge and understanding about this group, and on the other, they worry about potential troubles.
Since 2014, the GLCAC has been mobilizing teachers across the country to "back" gay students by taking photos with a sign that reads "Homosexuality is not disease." According to Dou Dou, both in middle schools and colleges, there are teachers willing to do something for sexual minorities, but one-third of teachers who express support for LGBT people refuse to show their attitude openly.
"It is an act of self-preservation under the current administration system. It is particularly so in second or third-tier cities where teachers worry what they say may represent the school," said Dou Dou, "After all, there is neither related law nor regulations, like an education law on gender equality, nor an official stand from the authorities on this matter."
"The improvement of the campus environment mainly relies on the teachers. If they don't have this awareness, then it is hard," said Dou Dou, "Administrators need to change their mindset."
Considering that sources of information are a key factor in helping LGBT students, GLCAC published a survey in 2014 about textbooks in colleges, which shows that 40 percent of the investigated books still regard gay people as having a disease and abnormal. This was followed by Qiu Bai's legal action against the textbook publishing house and the Ministry of Education.
"Ideally, the school should provide relevant courses and readings that at least don't make students feel negative when they learn more about their sexual orientation," said Dou Dou.
"It requires relevant education and assistance from organizations and teachers," she noted, though admitting that the campus environment for LGBT groups is improving.
