Kerri-June Clayton
For Kerri-June, a dream trip was soured by her experience of unfair treatment. This occurred when she travelled to Beijing last year, just months before the Olympic Games.
Kerri-June had some friends living and working in China so she planned a family holiday there in April 2008. Her travel agent advised her to apply for a visa about six weeks before departure. She was also advised to include a letter of support from her friends in China.
In the visa application form there was a question about whether she had a mental illness. The form said that answering ‘yes' would not reduce an individual's eligibility for a visa but then went on to request detailed reasons for the answer. Not wanting to discuss it with her travel agent, Kerri-June contacted her friends in China.
"I wondered - should I contact the embassy? What would be the process if I said ‘yes'? I was concerned to say ‘no' as the medications I was travelling with were clearly for mental health issues," Kerri-June says.
Her friends in China recommended she say, ‘no' to the mental illness question. They said answering ‘yes' could delay or even prevent her from entering China. They believed the Chinese authorities would be especially strict about entry criteria with the Olympics approaching in August 2008.
"Personally, I felt like I should tick the box and say ‘yes, I have a mental illness, but because I was worried about disrupting the holiday for my whole family and causing trouble for my friends in China, I decided to say ‘no' to the mental illness question. It didn't feel right, but it seemed like the best thing to do at the time."
Kerri-June was still worried about taking her medications to China and having to explain them at customs. She went to her doctor, who wrote a letter saying her medication was for treating hormonal imbalances. In the end, customs didn't open her bags and there was no problem getting through immigration.
The experience still felt unfair and left Kerri-June with a bitter feeling.
"It was a reminder of that mark of difference," she says "being asked that question is a bit of a reality check. I've quite successfully managed my life to not be discriminated against but here it was, someone in the world wanted to put me in that box because I'm a perceived threat."
