For some background, I’m a transgender woman from the US and I’m considering studying in Taiwan sometime in the near future. I pass as a woman fairly well, but I’m not 100% sure I’d be able to live in stealth. Some minor hostility won’t stop me, although I definitely don’t want to be miserable in a foreign country for a couple years.
How do Taiwanese people view transgender people?
If someone found out, would they look down on me and call me 人妖 or something?
How dangerous is dating as a trans person in Taiwan? I mean, would I have to worry about getting attacked if I told someone that I’m trans/I have a penis on a date?
Compare to the States Taiwan is definitely much less accepting towards LGBT folks.
Earlier this year (or late last year, dont remember) we had a protest against gay acceptance, etc.
Although the younger generation seems more supportive of the LGBT community, at the same time I personally know a lot of people in their 20s that don’t. (usually keep this opinion to themselves)
If you want to stay here for a while you probably want to keep this as a secret, even my gay friends (5+ people) all kept their sexuality as a secret except 1.
I have disagree to a point with @IEatPonies. It highly depends where you are in the states. But in Taiwan and especially in Taipei most people might just find it a curiosity and hold no prejudices or malice against people who are trans. People might stare but that’s about it. Even the people who disagree with gay marriage were not malicious, they just disagreed which they have the right to do in a democracy. It’s not like some parts in the US or the world where people spurt out malicious slurs and actually hate people who are LBGT.
Yeah maybe you should disclose this before you go on a date. I’ve met people at the bars or clubs and they were open about it pretty much right away. I respectfully said I was not interested and made some small talk and went out separate ways.
I definitely do when I meet people online, but sometimes things happen a bit more organically, if that makes sense? Asking people out in person is complicated enough without having to run away and text them that you’re trans.
Yeah, not to mention targeted violence against LGBT people, which never happens here.
Taiwan is pretty much DADT paradise, which can have its own problems, but open hostility is rarely an issue.
Gay/Transdar is basically non-existent in most local folks.
As far as opposition to same-gender marriage, it’s generally a few really off-the-rails looney tune Jesus thumpers who make a lot of noise despite their numbers being a small fraction of the population openly supporting it.
I hope you are right, when I was in the military in 2014 the youngsters definitely wasnt very accepting towards them, which is why I was left the impression the LGBT people dont go public with their sexuality.
I don’t know where in the states you were in. But I lived in some southern states or areas in a state where they would beat you for being a “fag”. Smear the queer was often played when I was a kid on kids that wasn’t even gay. They were just more feminine guys in some way. I’ve never heard of anything like that in taiwan. The LGBT community is pretty big here. Gay bars parties and clubs are plentiful. Many gay friends from Europe and the states of mine have said they prefer things here vs their home country as being openly gay.
The military is not a reflection of society norm I think. I mean compares to the US military, the military people here probably treats Gay/Trans people better.
I don’t think the OP really has much to worry about. I wouldn’t say the anti-LGBT religious types are a really small minority, but they’re not confrontational, and the chances of encountering open hostility are pretty slim. Most of the opposition LGBTers encounter comes from their own families, and it usually revolves around expectations of carrying on the family name.
As far as dating is concerned, just be careful about hitting on the boyfriend of a psycho xiaojie…that could result in a serious catfight.
First a comment about how gay-friendly Taiwan is, if that is at all relevant to the transgender issue or of interest to the OP:
Taiwan is one of the gay-friendliest countries in Asia. Yes, there were protests against same-sex marriage, but they were vastly outnumbered by the pro-SSM protests.
As for transgender people, I don’t know that much about how they are viewed here. Taiwan doesn’t have a transgender culture like Thailand does, with their kathoey (so-called “ladyboy”) culture. I imagine transgender people are met with the same non-vicious curiosity as gay people are. I have met a few transgender people here living good lives here. As Dr. Milker said, most resistance against LGBT people comes from parents who yearn to “bao sunzi” (have grandchildren).
Only about 5% of Taiwanese are Christian, if that matters, and only a small fraction of them are of the actively anti-LGBT kind. Some Buddhists are also very conservative socially, but the vast majority are live and let live. As in most countries, people who are “different” from local norms are more likely to be accepted in the big cities.
Taiwan is discriminatory: it divides simply between good looking and not so good looking. So if you are in the first group, don’t worry. You’ll only get hassled if you fit in the latter.
My mate’s married to an indigenous woman and in their township there are several transwomen, or perhaps transvesites. It doesn’t seem to be an issue with them.
I completely forgot about that game. But when we played people weren’t attacking feminine boys. It was usually someone deemed strong enough to take on many.