Homosexuality 同性恋－越来越多的年轻同性恋者被他们父母接纳和认可
原文链接：https://www.economist.com/node/21562984Homosexuality 同性恋
Coming out 出柜
More gay teenagers are gaining acceptance by their parents
越来越多的年轻同性恋者被他们父母接纳和认可
2012.09.15
HOMOSEXUALITY was declassifiedas a mental illness in China a decade ago, but prejudice remains deep. So when an editor at the government education department in the city of Hangzhou was compiling a pamphlet recently to help parents guide their children through puberty, she included a warning about “deviant” behaviour.
早在十年前，中国就取消将同性恋定性为精神疾病，但如今对此的偏见仍然深刻。因此近来，当杭州政府教育部门的一位编辑编写帮助家长指导子女度过青春期的宣传手册时，她在书中加入了对此“异常”行为的警告。
What she may not have expected was an irate open letter in response from a group of mothers of gay children. Eighteen mothers, from all over China, affiliated with Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, an NGO known as PFLAG China, signed the letter. It called for the book to be withdrawn.
然而可能令她意想不到的是：一群子女是同性恋者的母亲用一封愤怒的公开信对此做出回应。这些来自全国各地的十八位母亲联合了“同志亲友联合会”（Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays），即一个称之为“PFLAG中国”的非政府组织，共同签署了那封信，要求那本手册下架。
“We’re extremely angry about this,” one of the signatories says who asked only to be identified by her internet name: Romantic Mum from Hebei. “Understanding and accepting gay people starts with education,” she continues. “But if kids continue to get this kind of education, the prejudice will remain.”
“我们对此感到极度愤怒，”一位要求以其网名“来自河北的浪漫妈妈”注解其身份的签署人说。“理解和接纳同性恋者从教育开始，“ 她还说，“但是如果孩子们继续接受这种教育，那么偏见会继续存在。”
The mother says her own “unsuitable education” meant that she was devastated when her son came out to her at the age of 15: “I kept asking myself what I had done wrong in bringing him up.” But last year, after joining some online discussion groups, she accepted that her son was not going to change. Now she helps run PFLAG’s hotline, which offers advice to parents of gay children.
那位母亲称自己接受的“不当教育”使她儿子十五岁对自己出柜时，她觉得天都塌了：“我一直在问自己把他养大到底做错了什么。”但是去年，自从加入了一些在线讨论组后，她接受儿子不会改变（性取向）的事实。如今她帮助经营PFLAG热线，给其他同性恋孩子的家长建言献策。
PFLAG’s director, Hu Zhijun, says that ten years ago very few children came out to their parents. Now, with more information available online, a new generation of gay people are more confident. “They’re more likely to tell their parents and classmates,” he says.
PFLAG负责人胡志军说十年前很少有孩子向父母出柜。而如今，越来越多的信息可以从网上查到，新一代同性恋者更加自信。“他们更愿意向父母和同学诉说。”
The government editor’s response was encouraging too: she invited the volunteers for a chat, apologised for not knowing much about gay people, and said there will be changes in the next edition of the book.
那位政府编辑的回应也鼓舞人心：她邀请志愿者们来做交流，为自己对同性恋者的知之甚少而道歉，说会对下一版手册作出相关修改。
But there is much more to do, says Romantic Mum.Her parents and close friends have been surprisingly accepting of her son’s homosexuality, but the boy’s father has not, and now barely talks to him. And although Mr Hu and his group have recently given talks in universities, schools are more resistant. He estimates that perhaps 10% of gay people in China now tell their parents. Most of the rest still feel they must get married to satisfy their families.
但要做的还有很多，“浪漫妈妈”说。她的父母和密友出人意料地接受了她儿子的同性恋取向，但是她丈夫却不接受，而且现在几乎不和他儿子说话。尽管近来胡先生和他的组织在大学里做些讲座，但中小学校对此比较抵制。他估计在中国可能只有10%的同性恋向家长坦白，剩下的认为他们必须和异性结婚，让家人满意。
