Flag This! Gay Men Symbols and Meang Behd Them - Siline Masks, Siline Mcle-Smizen

Contents:

• BEG GAY CHA: DO THE RABOW FLAG FLY EE?
• IT CAN BE DANGERO TO WAVE A RABOW LGBT FLAG IN CHARISKTWO WOMEN WERE BEATEN UP WHILE WEARG ‘TERRIFYG’ RABOW BADG, WHILE THOSE ATTENDG NCERTS FOR DUA LIPA AND SAM SMH WERE ROUGHED UP OR HAD RABOW FLAGS NFISTED.BRENDON HONGUPDATED NOV. 06, 2018 5:05AM EST / PUBLISHED NOV. 06, 2018 5:04AM EST PHOTO ILLTRATN BY THE DAILY BEASTHONG KONG—THE RABOW FLAG HAS BEE A DANGERO SYMBOL CHA, AND FLYG THE FLAG PUBLIC ULD LEAD TO PHYSIL HARM.THIS WAS MOST BTALLY DISPLAYED AN CINT BEIJG MAY, WHEN TWO WOMEN WERE PLANNG TO ENJOY THEIR WEEKEND THE CHE PAL’S 798 ART ZONE, A PLEX OF MISSNED ARY FACTORY BUILDGS AND WAREHO THAT HAVE BEEN NVERTED TO ART GALLERI, RTRANTS, AND BOUTIQUE SHOP SPAC. AN LGBT ACTIVIST WH THE HANDLE PIAOQUANJUN ON WEIBO—THE CHE EQUIVALENT OF TWTER—HAD POSTED AN VATN ONLE FOR SUPPORTERS TO VIS THE AREA AND SHOW THEIR SUPPORT FOR THE INTERNATNAL DAY AGAST HOMOPHOBIA, TRANSPHOBIA, AND BIPHOBIA.PIAOQUANJUN HUGGED EVERYONE WHO SHOWED UP, AND HE HAD 5,000 RABOW BADG TO HAND OUT. BUT THE ART DISTRICT’S SECURY GUARDS QUICKLY BARRED HIM OM THOSE OUTREACH ACTIVI. NOHELS, THE TWO WOMEN HAD LOTED PIAOQUANJUN, HUGGED HIM, AND WERE GIVEN RABOWS TO WEAR. THEY PNED THE BADG ON THEIR CHTS. THOSE BEARG PIAOQUANJUN’S BADG WERE BLOCKED OM ENTERG THE ART ZONE. AS THE TWO WOMEN APPROACHED ONE ENTRANCE, SECURY GUARDS STOPPED THEM. AN ARGUMENT ENSUED. ONE WOMAN WAS PUNCHED THE FACE AND FELL TO THE GROUND. THE OTHER WAS SURROUND BY FIVE UNIFORMED MEN, GRABBED, AND KICKED REPEATEDLY.AFTER SEEKG MEDIL TREATMENT, ONE OF THE WOMEN TOLD PIAOQUANJUN THAT SHE REQUIRED STCH HER MOUTH. A STAFF MEMBER FOR THE ART DISTRICT’S PROPERTY MANAGEMENT TEAM TOLD A CHE STATE-N MEDIA OUTLET THAT THEY HAVE “A RIGHT TO STOP ILLEGAL ACTIVY,” ADDG THAT “WEARG A RABOW BADGE IS ILLEGAL TO ME, AND THEY, THE HOMOSEXUALS, HAVE DISTORTED SEXUAL ORIENTATN, IS TERRIFYG.”SO TERRIFYG, APPARENTLY, THAT THE ONLY RPONSE FOR THE GUARDS WAS TO BE BEAT UP TWO NOCENT WOMEN.FOUR MONTHS LATER, SHANGHAI, A SIAR CINT OCCURRED. BRISH POP SGER DUA LIPA HELD A NCERT THE CY, DURG WHICH SOME OF HER FANS DANCED TO HER MIC. A FEW WERE APPARENTLY WAVG THE RABOW FLAG.SECURY GUARDS ROUGHED UP SOME OF THE NCERT-GOERS AND DRAGGED THEM OUT OF THE VENUE. AGA, BEATGS HAPPENED OUTSI THE ARENA. THE SGER WAS TEARS ON STAGE.STAFF AT THE NCERT VENUE—AND THEIR SUPPORTERS—OFFERED AN EXCE: IS “AGAST THE L” FOR EVENT ATTEN TO STAND DURG PERFORMANC. BUT FOR OTHER NCERTS HELD AT THE SAME LOTN, SPECIFILLY THOSE WH CHE OR TAIWANE POP AND ROCK STARS PERFORMG, DANCG TO THE MIC HAS NEVER BEEN A PROBLEM.AFTER HER SHOW, DUA LIPA WROTE ON TWTER THAT SHE WAS “PROUD” OF HER FANS, AND THAT SHE WOULD RETURN TO THE CY WHEN “THE TIME IS RIGHT AND HOPEFULLY SEE A ROOM FULL OF RABOWS.”BY THE TIME SAM SMH MA A STOP BEIJG AS PART OF HIS NCERT TOUR OCTOBER, THE GUARDS AT THE CHE PAL’S CADILLAC ARENA HAD A LIGHTER TOUCH. THEY MERELY NFISTED RABOW FLAGS THAT FANS HOISTED DURG THE SHOW.THERE IS NO REASON TO THK THAT ANY OF THE CINTS HAPPENED BEE OF DIRECTIV OM THE STATE. INSTEAD, THE BEATGS AND OTHER NEGATIVE REACTNS TO THE RABOW FLAGS ARE THE RULT OF BIGOTRY BEG SCRIBED RPORATE POLICY, REFLECTG THE EXTREMELY NSERVATIVE, ILL-RMED SOCIAL ATTUS ABOUT SEXUALY THAT PERMEATE CHE SOCIETY. “ON SOCIAL MEDIA, ‘GAY’ AND ‘EQUAL RIGHTS’ ARE STILL SENSIVE WORDS, WHICH ARE LIKELY TO BE BLOCKED OR EVEN LETED BY THE SYSTEM” A REPRENTATIVE OF THE BEIJG LGBT CENTER TOLD THE DAILY BEAST THAT THE RABOW FLAG BDS MEMBERS OF CHA’S LGBT MUNY AND GIV THEM A STRONG SENSE OF SHARED INTY THE FACE OF STRICT CENSORSHIP. “ON SOCIAL MEDIA, ‘GAY’ AND ‘EQUAL RIGHTS’ ARE STILL SENSIVE WORDS, WHICH ARE LIKELY TO BE BLOCKED OR EVEN LETED BY THE SYSTEM,” THE REPRENTATIVE SAID. “RELATIVELY, THE RABOW FLAG IS NOT SO POLILLY SENSIVE, WHICH IS BENEFICIAL FOR TO RRY OUT RELEVANT ADVOCY WORK.”THE CRACKDOWN ON THE RABOW FLAG AFTER THE THORI STEPPED TO NCEL LGBT RIGHTS EVENTS GUANGZHOU AND SHANGHAI MAY, LABELG THEM AS “ILLEGAL GATHERGS.” TO DISURAGE MONSTRATNS, PUBLIC SECURY OFFICIALS SHANGHAI RERD THE PERSONAL TAILS OF THE PARTICIPANTS. ONLY THREE YEARS AGO, ATTUS SEEMED VASTLY DIFFERENT. DURG THE LUNAR NEW YEAR HOLIDAY, A SHORT FILM THAT UNPACKED THE REJECTN AND EVENTUAL ACCEPTANCE OF A FAY’S GAY ADULT SON WENT VIRAL CHA. AT THE END OF THE CLIP, PARENTS OF CHE LGBT PEOPLE SHARED THEIR OWN EXPERIENC AND WELL WISH.LATER THE SAME YEAR, TAIWANE POP SGER A-MEI ROLLED OUT A MASSIVE RABOW FLAG AT HER NCERT XIAMEN. THE DISPLAY WAS SPONSORED BY BLUED, A GAY DATG APP VELOPED CHA BY A FORMER POLICE OFFICER. UNR THE GUISE OF “PK MERCE,” THE EXPRSN OF NON-HETEROSEXUAL ORIENTATN WAS NDONED.THE STGGLE FOR LGBT VISIBILY ISN’T SIMPLY A CULTURAL MATTER; THERE IS A SIGNIFINT LEGAL BATTLE ABOUT TO UNFOLD AS WELL. A KRGARTEN TEACHER QGDAO WAS LAID OFF OM HIS SCHOOL AFTER POSTG A MENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA ABOUT ATTENDG AN LGBT EVENT. HE DIDN’T RECEIVE SUFFICIENT SEVERANCE OR PENSATN FOR HIS 10-PERCENT STAKE THE FACILY, AND CID TO PURSUE LEGAL ACTN. STATE-N MEDIA HAS DITED THAT THIS IS THE FIRST LABOR DISPUTE FILED BY AN OPENLY GAY CHE CIZEN, STEMMG OM A MATTER RELATED TO LGBT RIGHTS. THE FIRST HEARG WILL TAKE PLACE ON NOVEMBER 13. “HOMOSEXUALY ISN’T ILLEGAL CHA, BUT CHANG MA TO THE UNTRY’S TER REGULATNS LAST YEAR BANNED 'DISPLAYS OF HOMOSEXUALY' D-VISUAL NTENT” IN J XG, TRANSGENR PEOPLE CHA MAY HAVE ONE CELEBRY TO LOOK UP TO, BUT THE UNTRY’S LAWS DO LTLE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE EXISTENCE OF THIS MORY POPULATN, MUCH LS PROTECT THEIR RIGHT TO EXIST. GENR REASSIGNMENT LAWS ARE AMBIGUO, AND NON-BARY OPTNS ARE NONEXISTENT ON LEGAL DOCUMENTS.HOMOSEXUALY ISN’T ILLEGAL CHA, BUT CHANG MA TO THE UNTRY’S TER REGULATNS LAST YEAR BANNED “DISPLAYS OF HOMOSEXUALY” D-VISUAL NTENT, LUMPG GAY CULTURE TOGETHER WH “CT” AND “SEXUAL PERVERSNS.” THIS LED TO THE ERASURE OF ONLE POSTS MA BY MEMBERS OF THE LGBT MUNY AND THEIR ALLI. THOANDS OF PHOTOGRAPHS OF SAME-SEX UPL KISSG WERE WIPED, AS WERE LOVE NOT TRAD BETWEEN PEOPLE.THE MSAGE TO THE LGBT MUNY—OM CHE RPORATNS AS WELL AS THE ERNMENT—IS THAT YOU N BE GAY, OR BI, OR TRANS, BUT NOT TOO PUBLICLY. BRENDON HONG
• FLAG THIS! GAY MEN SYMBOLS AND MEANG BEHD THEM

BEG GAY CHA: DO THE RABOW FLAG FLY EE?

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.

IT CAN BE DANGERO TO WAVE A RABOW LGBT FLAG IN CHARISKTWO WOMEN WERE BEATEN UP WHILE WEARG ‘TERRIFYG’ RABOW BADG, WHILE THOSE ATTENDG NCERTS FOR DUA LIPA AND SAM SMH WERE ROUGHED UP OR HAD RABOW FLAGS NFISTED.BRENDON HONGUPDATED NOV. 06, 2018 5:05AM EST / PUBLISHED NOV. 06, 2018 5:04AM EST PHOTO ILLTRATN BY THE DAILY BEASTHONG KONG—THE RABOW FLAG HAS BEE A DANGERO SYMBOL CHA, AND FLYG THE FLAG PUBLIC ULD LEAD TO PHYSIL HARM.THIS WAS MOST BTALLY DISPLAYED AN CINT BEIJG MAY, WHEN TWO WOMEN WERE PLANNG TO ENJOY THEIR WEEKEND THE CHE PAL’S 798 ART ZONE, A PLEX OF MISSNED ARY FACTORY BUILDGS AND WAREHO THAT HAVE BEEN NVERTED TO ART GALLERI, RTRANTS, AND BOUTIQUE SHOP SPAC. AN LGBT ACTIVIST WH THE HANDLE PIAOQUANJUN ON WEIBO—THE CHE EQUIVALENT OF TWTER—HAD POSTED AN VATN ONLE FOR SUPPORTERS TO VIS THE AREA AND SHOW THEIR SUPPORT FOR THE INTERNATNAL DAY AGAST HOMOPHOBIA, TRANSPHOBIA, AND BIPHOBIA.PIAOQUANJUN HUGGED EVERYONE WHO SHOWED UP, AND HE HAD 5,000 RABOW BADG TO HAND OUT. BUT THE ART DISTRICT’S SECURY GUARDS QUICKLY BARRED HIM OM THOSE OUTREACH ACTIVI. NOHELS, THE TWO WOMEN HAD LOTED PIAOQUANJUN, HUGGED HIM, AND WERE GIVEN RABOWS TO WEAR. THEY PNED THE BADG ON THEIR CHTS. THOSE BEARG PIAOQUANJUN’S BADG WERE BLOCKED OM ENTERG THE ART ZONE. AS THE TWO WOMEN APPROACHED ONE ENTRANCE, SECURY GUARDS STOPPED THEM. AN ARGUMENT ENSUED. ONE WOMAN WAS PUNCHED THE FACE AND FELL TO THE GROUND. THE OTHER WAS SURROUND BY FIVE UNIFORMED MEN, GRABBED, AND KICKED REPEATEDLY.AFTER SEEKG MEDIL TREATMENT, ONE OF THE WOMEN TOLD PIAOQUANJUN THAT SHE REQUIRED STCH HER MOUTH. A STAFF MEMBER FOR THE ART DISTRICT’S PROPERTY MANAGEMENT TEAM TOLD A CHE STATE-N MEDIA OUTLET THAT THEY HAVE “A RIGHT TO STOP ILLEGAL ACTIVY,” ADDG THAT “WEARG A RABOW BADGE IS ILLEGAL TO ME, AND THEY, THE HOMOSEXUALS, HAVE DISTORTED SEXUAL ORIENTATN, IS TERRIFYG.”SO TERRIFYG, APPARENTLY, THAT THE ONLY RPONSE FOR THE GUARDS WAS TO BE BEAT UP TWO NOCENT WOMEN.FOUR MONTHS LATER, SHANGHAI, A SIAR CINT OCCURRED. BRISH POP SGER DUA LIPA HELD A NCERT THE CY, DURG WHICH SOME OF HER FANS DANCED TO HER MIC. A FEW WERE APPARENTLY WAVG THE RABOW FLAG.SECURY GUARDS ROUGHED UP SOME OF THE NCERT-GOERS AND DRAGGED THEM OUT OF THE VENUE. AGA, BEATGS HAPPENED OUTSI THE ARENA. THE SGER WAS TEARS ON STAGE.STAFF AT THE NCERT VENUE—AND THEIR SUPPORTERS—OFFERED AN EXCE: IS “AGAST THE L” FOR EVENT ATTEN TO STAND DURG PERFORMANC. BUT FOR OTHER NCERTS HELD AT THE SAME LOTN, SPECIFILLY THOSE WH CHE OR TAIWANE POP AND ROCK STARS PERFORMG, DANCG TO THE MIC HAS NEVER BEEN A PROBLEM.AFTER HER SHOW, DUA LIPA WROTE ON TWTER THAT SHE WAS “PROUD” OF HER FANS, AND THAT SHE WOULD RETURN TO THE CY WHEN “THE TIME IS RIGHT AND HOPEFULLY SEE A ROOM FULL OF RABOWS.”BY THE TIME SAM SMH MA A STOP BEIJG AS PART OF HIS NCERT TOUR OCTOBER, THE GUARDS AT THE CHE PAL’S CADILLAC ARENA HAD A LIGHTER TOUCH. THEY MERELY NFISTED RABOW FLAGS THAT FANS HOISTED DURG THE SHOW.THERE IS NO REASON TO THK THAT ANY OF THE CINTS HAPPENED BEE OF DIRECTIV OM THE STATE. INSTEAD, THE BEATGS AND OTHER NEGATIVE REACTNS TO THE RABOW FLAGS ARE THE RULT OF BIGOTRY BEG SCRIBED RPORATE POLICY, REFLECTG THE EXTREMELY NSERVATIVE, ILL-RMED SOCIAL ATTUS ABOUT SEXUALY THAT PERMEATE CHE SOCIETY. “ON SOCIAL MEDIA, ‘GAY’ AND ‘EQUAL RIGHTS’ ARE STILL SENSIVE WORDS, WHICH ARE LIKELY TO BE BLOCKED OR EVEN LETED BY THE SYSTEM” A REPRENTATIVE OF THE BEIJG LGBT CENTER TOLD THE DAILY BEAST THAT THE RABOW FLAG BDS MEMBERS OF CHA’S LGBT MUNY AND GIV THEM A STRONG SENSE OF SHARED INTY THE FACE OF STRICT CENSORSHIP. “ON SOCIAL MEDIA, ‘GAY’ AND ‘EQUAL RIGHTS’ ARE STILL SENSIVE WORDS, WHICH ARE LIKELY TO BE BLOCKED OR EVEN LETED BY THE SYSTEM,” THE REPRENTATIVE SAID. “RELATIVELY, THE RABOW FLAG IS NOT SO POLILLY SENSIVE, WHICH IS BENEFICIAL FOR TO RRY OUT RELEVANT ADVOCY WORK.”THE CRACKDOWN ON THE RABOW FLAG AFTER THE THORI STEPPED TO NCEL LGBT RIGHTS EVENTS GUANGZHOU AND SHANGHAI MAY, LABELG THEM AS “ILLEGAL GATHERGS.” TO DISURAGE MONSTRATNS, PUBLIC SECURY OFFICIALS SHANGHAI RERD THE PERSONAL TAILS OF THE PARTICIPANTS. ONLY THREE YEARS AGO, ATTUS SEEMED VASTLY DIFFERENT. DURG THE LUNAR NEW YEAR HOLIDAY, A SHORT FILM THAT UNPACKED THE REJECTN AND EVENTUAL ACCEPTANCE OF A FAY’S GAY ADULT SON WENT VIRAL CHA. AT THE END OF THE CLIP, PARENTS OF CHE LGBT PEOPLE SHARED THEIR OWN EXPERIENC AND WELL WISH.LATER THE SAME YEAR, TAIWANE POP SGER A-MEI ROLLED OUT A MASSIVE RABOW FLAG AT HER NCERT XIAMEN. THE DISPLAY WAS SPONSORED BY BLUED, A GAY DATG APP VELOPED CHA BY A FORMER POLICE OFFICER. UNR THE GUISE OF “PK MERCE,” THE EXPRSN OF NON-HETEROSEXUAL ORIENTATN WAS NDONED.THE STGGLE FOR LGBT VISIBILY ISN’T SIMPLY A CULTURAL MATTER; THERE IS A SIGNIFINT LEGAL BATTLE ABOUT TO UNFOLD AS WELL. A KRGARTEN TEACHER QGDAO WAS LAID OFF OM HIS SCHOOL AFTER POSTG A MENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA ABOUT ATTENDG AN LGBT EVENT. HE DIDN’T RECEIVE SUFFICIENT SEVERANCE OR PENSATN FOR HIS 10-PERCENT STAKE THE FACILY, AND CID TO PURSUE LEGAL ACTN. STATE-N MEDIA HAS DITED THAT THIS IS THE FIRST LABOR DISPUTE FILED BY AN OPENLY GAY CHE CIZEN, STEMMG OM A MATTER RELATED TO LGBT RIGHTS. THE FIRST HEARG WILL TAKE PLACE ON NOVEMBER 13. “HOMOSEXUALY ISN’T ILLEGAL CHA, BUT CHANG MA TO THE UNTRY’S TER REGULATNS LAST YEAR BANNED 'DISPLAYS OF HOMOSEXUALY' D-VISUAL NTENT” IN J XG, TRANSGENR PEOPLE CHA MAY HAVE ONE CELEBRY TO LOOK UP TO, BUT THE UNTRY’S LAWS DO LTLE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE EXISTENCE OF THIS MORY POPULATN, MUCH LS PROTECT THEIR RIGHT TO EXIST. GENR REASSIGNMENT LAWS ARE AMBIGUO, AND NON-BARY OPTNS ARE NONEXISTENT ON LEGAL DOCUMENTS.HOMOSEXUALY ISN’T ILLEGAL CHA, BUT CHANG MA TO THE UNTRY’S TER REGULATNS LAST YEAR BANNED “DISPLAYS OF HOMOSEXUALY” D-VISUAL NTENT, LUMPG GAY CULTURE TOGETHER WH “CT” AND “SEXUAL PERVERSNS.” THIS LED TO THE ERASURE OF ONLE POSTS MA BY MEMBERS OF THE LGBT MUNY AND THEIR ALLI. THOANDS OF PHOTOGRAPHS OF SAME-SEX UPL KISSG WERE WIPED, AS WERE LOVE NOT TRAD BETWEEN PEOPLE.THE MSAGE TO THE LGBT MUNY—OM CHE RPORATNS AS WELL AS THE ERNMENT—IS THAT YOU N BE GAY, OR BI, OR TRANS, BUT NOT TOO PUBLICLY. BRENDON HONG

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.

A gay stunt pos wh a rabow flag Beijg. Gay clubs flourished big ci and muny groups sprang up to offer social servic. While ’s difficult to pot to any direct crackdown, the realy is that over the past ’s bee tougher to be gay Cha.

Homosexualy was crimalized 1997, but there are no explic legal protectns agast discrimatn based on sexual orientatn or genr inty. Are there gay rights Cha? Edor’s Note: In this month’s On Cha jo Kristie Lu Stout for a revealg nversatn wh Cha’s leadg gay rights advot.

FLAG THIS! GAY MEN SYMBOLS AND MEANG BEHD THEM

I’m Two Ci Cafe, a popular meetg place for the lol gay muny. Here, I meet wh some of the untry’s leadg LGBT (lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr) advot to learn about gay inty Cha. Homosexualy was crimalized 1997, and a few years later was removed om an official list of mental illns.

Many Che gays and lbians are rpondg to the fay prsure wh “operative marriag” – gay men and lbian women marryg each other out of social and enomic nvenience, often fdg each other onle.

“I grew up the 80s and 90s and most of the people my age, everyone, got to marriage – no matter gay or straight, ” says Xu B, founr of the advocy group Common Language.