HOMOSEXUAL CHINESE MAN RECEIVES ASYLUM IN THE US

A former visiting scholar from Beijing University has been granted asylum in the US on the basis of his sexual orientation.  The asylee, who does not want his identity known, says he suffered years of abuse in China, including aversion therapy and beatings and sexual abuse at the hands of police officers.  Persecution suffered because of membership in identifiable social groups is grounds for asylum.  Homosexuals have been a recognized social group for purposes of asylum law since 1994.

Chinese officials claim that there is no law against homosexuality, but human rights advocates point to the Chinese law against disturbing the social order.  Amnesty International has documented a number of cases in which people have been arrested on the basis of violations of this law and subjected to torture and made to undergo psychiatric treatment. 

According to the Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Organization, 300 people have been granted asylum in the US because they suffered persecution on the basis of their sexual orientation since 1994.

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