KEY POINTS:
Asian lesbian, gays and bisexuals (LGBs) in New Zealand are more likely to keep their sexuality a secret compared with Westerners , a Massey University study says.
Senior social work lecturer Mark Henrickson said his findings reinforced the notion that the idea of having an LGB identity was a highly westernised, European concept.
Health and social workers needed to be aware of the Asian attitude, the study said.
In New Zealand's largest study of LGB people, Dr Henrickson surveyed 2269 respondents, of which 491 (21 per cent) were born overseas.
Of these nearly 11 per cent were Asian.
The study found that while Asian-born immigrants were aware of having same-sex attractions at an earlier age, they were less likely to tell friends, family or colleagues as they grew older.
Only 3 per cent of non-Asian respondents said they hadn't disclosed their identity to anyone, compared with 15.3 per cent of Asian people.
Dr Henrickson said Asian gays were much more likely to remain isolated because they tended to only make contact with other gay and lesbians on the internet.
"Of Asian-born respondents, 34.7 per cent had used the internet to make first contact, compared with only 10.6 per cent of other immigrants," the study said.
"And a further 18.4 per cent of Asian-born respondents said they had not made any contact with the lesbian, gay and bisexual community in New Zealand."
Dr Henrickson, who teaches in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences in Auckland, said the idea of "coming out" as a gay person did not have the same meaning for most Asians.
He said an Asian person's identity stemmed more strongly from family ties and marriage, rather than individual expressions of identity.
"Whereas people from western cultures are more likely to be open and positive about the fact that they are lesbian, gay or bisexual - 'it's me, it's my major identity, who I am' - Asians regardless of sexual orientation, regard their identity as linked to who their parents are, who they are married to," Dr Henrickson said.
There were practical implications from the study's findings for social and community workers, especially in the area of sexual health education, Aids awareness and prevention, he said.
"No social worker should assume that their client is heterosexual, or exclusively heterosexually active."
- NZPA
