Title
Perspectives on same-sex sexualities and self-harm amongst service providers and teachers in Hong Kong
Document Type
Journal article
Source Publication
Sex Education
Publication Date
7-1-2014
Volume
14
Issue
4
First Page
444
Last Page
456
Publisher
Routledge
Keywords
attitudes, Hong Kong, religion, service providers, sexual minority youth
Abstract
This study investigates the perspectives of service providers working with Chinese lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) young people in Hong Kong secondary schools and maps the relationships between same-sex sexualities, religion, education and self-harm. Sixteen service providers, including secondary school teachers, social workers based on and off school sites, and lesbian/transgender activists working in non-governmental organisations serving the LGB and transgender communities, participated in in-depth qualitative interviews. In addition, extensive participant observation was carried out. A grounded theory approach was adopted to code the data, as themes emerged with each successive round of coding. Study findings highlight four main themes: barriers to discussing sexuality at school, the effects of personal disinclination and religion, lesbian and gay youth being perceived as especially susceptible to self-harm, and the similarities in professionals' perceptions of self-harmers and LGB youth. Findings suggest that conservative religious beliefs at both the personal and structural levels act as deterrents to providing counselling and mental health services supportive of LGB youth in Hong Kong.
DOI
10.1080/14681811.2014.920249
Print ISSN
14681811
E-ISSN
14720825
Funding Information
Funding for this project was provided by the University of Hong Kong Seed Funding Programme for Basic Research by New Staff.
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2014 Taylor & Francis.
Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Tang, D. (2014). Perspectives on same-sex sexualities and self-harm amongst service providers and teachers in Hong Kong. Sex Education, 14(4), 444-456. doi: 10.1080/14681811.2014.920249
