Durg the Lunar New Year, gay men and lbians pair off to ward off parental prsure.
Contents:
‘WHY AREN’T YOU MARRIED?’: IN CHA, GAY MEN AND LBIANS PAIR OFF TO KEEP PARENTS OFF THEIR BACKS
Durg this year’s Pri Month, soccer star Li Yg ma history as Cha’s first female athlete to e out publicly as gay, a ndid seri of celebratory photos posted on social media, showg her posg happily alongsi her partner. And while much of the reactn was posive, wh people sendg their ngratulatns, Li’s acunt was also undated wh a wave of homophobic abe. In years past, June was filled wh LGBTQ (lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer) events major ci such as Shanghai and Beijg, durg which Cha’s sexual mori uld semi-openly celebrate their inty.
Cha crimalized homosexualy 1997 and removed om s official list of mental disorrs 2001. Some LGBTQ people have blamed the crackdown on the rrect imprsn that homosexualy is a Wtern import to Cha, and groups supportg gay rights are liable to filtratn by foreign forc.
Some also spect a more direct lk between the crackdown on LGBTQ rights and top officials’ worldviews, which for many were shaped durg the Cultural Revolutn the 1960s and ’70s, when thori attempted to purge any “non-socialist” elements — cludg homosexualy — om Che society. Though Cha crimalized gay sex the late 1990s, stigma and discrimatn persist the workplace and at home, as documented a report by the UNDP released last year. Though many fd a gree of eedom and acceptance Cha’s big, boomg ci, some stggle to discs their genr and sexual inti wh their parents — a fact that prompted the Che branch of PFLAG (formerly known as Parents, Fai and Friends of Lbians and Gays) to make a short film about the issue.