Advertisement

The push for gay rights in 21st-century China

Sep 30, 2015
Two women kiss outside a registry office in Beijing in a bid to draw attention to discrimination against LGBTQ people. Photo: AAP

Two women kiss outside a registry office in Beijing in a bid to draw attention to discrimination against LGBTQ people. Photo: AAP

Activism has improved the lives of lesbian, gay and transgender people in China, but millions still feel still pressure to stay in the closet, writes Beijing professor Li Jinzhao ahead of her Confucius Institute lecture in Adelaide this week.

There is no Western sense of an LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) movement in China.

The Western textbook definition of social movement emphasises mass protest and open resistance against the governing authority – such as the violent demonstrations against police raids and the arrest of homosexuals at the Stonewall Inn in New York City in 1969, or the current environment protection movement often involving large-scale protests. But a gay political movement characterised by national conventions, public demonstrations, banners and broadsheets is simply not allowed in China.

Nonetheless, LGBTQ activism does exist.

Through activists’ pressure and efforts via government-allowed channels, in 1997 the Ministry of Public Safety removed Article 106 of the Criminal Code targeting homosexuals with the so-called crime of “hooliganism”, which could lead to up to seven years of imprisonment. This removal is now often referred to as the legalisation of homosexual sex.

Similar pressure enabled the national Chinese Medical Association to denounce the labelling of homosexuality as a mental illness in 2001.

In the past decade, non-government and grassroots activism has become more visible and influential among the younger generations. The number of LGBTQ groups is growing quickly and they are very active in many Chinese cities, such as Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Kunming, and Chengdu.

As a result, members of marginalised groups are facing much better social conditions in the 21st century than they were in the 20th century.

The first public discussion of transgender identity in China was initiated only this year, when well-known scholar Professor LI Yinhe wrote openly about her 17-year love relationship with a transgender man. She single-handedly extended the public’s simple understanding of LG into BTQ, making people more aware of such differences as sexual orientation, sexual identification and sexual expression.

Another pivotal event this year was the Free the Five Sisters campaign, initiated when five young women were arrested in different Chinese cities and detained for planning a group action in support of safe public transportation for women. They were claimed to have “caused disturbance of public order”, but their arrest generated worldwide protests and petitions, leading to their eventual release. It was an example of a successful collaboration between lesbian feminists and liberal feminists in in China, and highlighted the effective use of new social media to generate public support and action.

In terms of the political and legal situation regarding gay rights, China has no law against homosexuality, nor any over-arching government repression of LGBTQ people.

Government media always conveys positive messages about the protection of homosexual rights. A good example is an article in May last year by Xinhua News Agency titled “China’s LGBT community needs more support”, highlighting the degree of emotional pain gay people can face in China due to social pressure and prejudice. It cites the view of Chinese gay rights activists that homosexuality has not been completely removed from the Chinese Classification of Mental Disorders (CCMD), and that this is partly responsible for the persistence of conservative attitudes in the country.

The Xinhua article supports the activists’ views that Chinese society should be more inclusive to make life happier for those in the LGBTQ community.

In terms of cultural and social attitudes, the oppression of LGBTQ people is still a concern. Although Western-type religious fanaticism and violent attacks are rare in China, people who come out to the public may still get fired from jobs or face difficulties getting housing. They may suffer discrimination from the police or the court system, and even be forced to undergo conversion therapy.

Most gay and lesbian people face heavy family and social pressure to marry someone of the opposite gender. As a result, many of the estimated 10 million to 40 million homosexuals in China have a heterosexual spouse. “Homowife”, a wife who is straight but is duped into and trapped in a marriage with a gay man, has become a new and unique social term in China. Some lesbians choose to marry a gay man so they can both “fool” their respective parents.

Internal disputes exist among the LGBTQ groups, particularly over coping strategies for surviving under the current social and cultural pressure.

Some gay people think the social environment they currently face in China is the best they can hope for; at least there is no strong religious persecution, and violent hate crimes against homosexuals are rare. They argue that gay culture and identity are becoming more visible and more accepted by the general public, with lots of mainstream films and TV dramas portraying positive and successful gay characters. They also question the necessity of “coming out” – to them, coming out does not mean power and pride but shame and pressure.

But many other gay people, especially those aged in their 20s and early 30s, believe in rights such as gay marriage and the importance of coming out. They are also critical of gay comedic characters created in mainstream films and TV dramas, which they see as merely reflecting the marginalisation of gay people as abnormal, though not immoral or sinful.

Although such LGBTQ-identified groups cannot launch a nationwide gay pride convention or political campaign, they do initiate and carry out a lot of protests over specific instances of unfair treatment or policy. They are trying many new forms of activism with limited financial resources and government consent in order to push the government to move forward from the “Don’t Support, Don’t Oppose, Don’t Recommend” policy towards the LGBTQ groups.

Li Jinzhao is an associate professor in Sociology and American Studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University. The LGBTQ movement in China will be the subject of her Confucius Institute Public Lecture, to be presented at the Banquet Room, Adelaide Festival Centre, on October 2 as part of the OzAsia Festival.

 

 

 

Local News Matters
Advertisement
Copyright © 2024 InDaily.
All rights reserved.