Queer China: Lesbian and Gay Literature and Visual Culture under Postsocialism (Literary Cultures of the Global South)

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Opinion polls have showed growing levels of support for LGBT rights and same-sex marriage in China. A 2009 poll found that 30% of Beijing's population supported same-sex marriage, while a 2014 poll found that 74% of Hong Kong residents favoured granting certain rights and benefits to same-sex couples. Scholars explain that the CCP directly controls the nature of LGBT activism in China through strict government regulation of civil sector organisations. In general, the CCP requires Non-Governmental Organisations’ (NGOs) compatibility with China’s overall policy goals. [133] Timothy Hildebrandt, associate professor at the LSE contends that this means activism in China is successful “only insofar as their activities complement government interests”. [133] Therefore, LGBT activist groups tend to work on issues that are non-politically charged and serve the wider community, such as HIV and AIDS prevention, to receive the most funding and “political space”. In turn, organisations that adopt overtly political stances or mobilise the LGBT community are less likely to survive in China. [133]

There is no anti-discrimination provision for sexual orientation or gender identity under Chinese labour law. Labour law specifically protects workers against discrimination on the basis of a person's ethnicity, gender or religion. [55] This was the first official Chinese ruling that homosexuality was not a disease and did not require treatment. The verdict was described as "an historical moment" by Geng Le, founder of the gay forum application Blued. "This is the first clear, positive description of homosexuality in the legal area .... The verdict will help gay rights advocates to urge clinics to halt such treatments and persuade parents not to pressure their gay children to undergo therapy," he said. [78] Kang, Wenqing (2009). Obsession: Male Same-Sex Relations in China, 1900-1950. Vol.1 of Queer Asia. Hong Kong University Press. pp.100, 101. ISBN 978-9622099814. Phillips, Tom (14 June 2016). "Gay man sues Chinese psychiatric hospital over 'sexuality correction' ". The Guardian . Retrieved 29 April 2017.Murphy, Colum (11 November 2021). "China's First Clinic for Transgender Kids Opens in Shanghai". Bloomberg News. After the Song dynasty, homosexual behavior was most documented amongst the gentry and merchant classes, since these were the people who were doing most of the writing. Practically all officials of this class maintained a wife or wives to produce heirs, and used their economic advantage to engage in relationships, heterosexual and homosexual, which gave them unequal power. [27] Thus documentation focuses on male courtesans or "singing boys" in luxurious but decadent surroundings who must take on a female role to please wealthy patrons intent on maintaining their role as the masculine partner in the agreement. [28] In the same year, the ShanghaiPRIDE Film Festival opened. [82] [83] It was founded by Matthew Baren, a Shanghai-based filmmaker, [84] and Alvin Li, an LGBT volunteer who lives in the US and China. [85] [86] Although more prominent in first-tier Chinese cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, gay clubs, bars, tea houses, saunas, and support centers are also becoming more widespread in second-tier cities like Xi'an, Dalian, and Kunming. Occasionally, these locations are subject to police harassment. Similar to the development of the gay scene in other countries, other less formal 'cruising spots' exist in parks, public washrooms, malls, and public shower centers. Being gay is particularly difficult in the countryside; in China this is especially severe as the vast majority of people live in the countryside with no Internet access and no possibility to move to a city. Country dwellers do not often speak of homosexuality, and when they do, it is usually considered a disease. [62]

Sun, Nancy (9 January 2014). "Shanxi Permits Persons to Change Gender Information". All-China Women's Federation. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014 . Retrieved 17 October 2014. Talha, Burki (2017-04-01). "Health and rights challenges for China's LGBT community". World Report. 389: 1286. History of Homosexuality". china.org.cn. Shanghai Star. Archived from the original on November 19, 2003 . Retrieved 26 November 2016.

All in My Family (2019) 

Many LGBT people in China forced into illegal 'conversion therapy': groups". Reuters. 2019-11-21 . Retrieved 2021-03-07. Limited, BlueCity Holdings (2022-08-12). "BlueCity Announces Completion of Merger". GlobeNewswire News Room . Retrieved 2023-11-25. Difficult [168] and no legal procedure, [169] which has caused discrimination against well-educated trans women.）

translives.net (in Chinese). 8 November 2018. Archived from the original on 11 May 2019 . Retrieved 7 March 2019. A 2008 survey by sexologist Li Yinhe shows a mixed picture of public attitudes towards gays and lesbians in China. 91% of respondents said they agreed with homosexuals having equal employment rights, while over 80% of respondents agreed that heterosexuals and homosexuals were "equal individuals". On the other hand, a slight majority disagreed with the proposition that an openly gay person should be a school teacher, and 40% of respondents said that homosexuality was "completely wrong." [59] Offord, Baden (2013). "Queer Activist Intersections in Southeast Asia: Human Rights and Cultural Studies". Asian Studies Review. 37 (3): 335–349. doi: 10.1080/10357823.2013.792781. ISSN 1035-7823. Hernández, Javier C. (16 December 2016). "Building a Community, and an Empire, With a Gay Dating App in China". The New York Times . Retrieved 23 March 2023. Scholars specialising in queer studies in Asia have claimed that this leads to a “desexualisation” of LGBT activism which pushes activist groups to become “respectfully queer”. [137] It is argued that legacies of colonisation have led to “pragmatic resistance” from LGBT activists in Asia, where shame and internalised homophobia limit the extent of their fight for rights. [138] [139]This is linked to a phenomenon called “ homonormativity”, where LGBT people mimic heteronormative standards to gain the most visibility and acceptance in society. [140] [141]On 31 December 2015, the China Television Drama Production Industry Association posted new guidelines, including a ban on showing LGBT relationships on television. The regulations stated: "No television drama shall show abnormal sexual relationships and behaviours, such as incest, same-sex relationships, sexual perversion, sexual assault, sexual abuse, sexual violence, and so on." [95] These new regulations have begun to affect web dramas, [96] which have historically had fewer restrictions: [97]