A great article from the BBC indicates that gays are making dramatic strides in China, where only a few years ago they officially did not exist.
It appears that soon there will be a true “gay community” in the major coastal cities, where gays are setting up telephone support lines and using the Internet to create a much needed social network.
In November 2001, gay webmasters held a secret meeting in Beijing. There are now hundreds of gay websites in China and the number is growing all the time.
Gay culture maybe gathering strength in China but despite the influences from the West and other Chinese communities in Hong Kong and Taiwan, Er Yan predicted any developing movement would have distinctly Chinese characteristics.
He said it would be quieter, and without the open activism that is common in other countries.
“The US has a strong influence across the world,” he said, “and the gay rights cause in the US has been at many times considered a model for other countries to follow, which some folks here really don’t agree with because Chinese people are much more passive.
“If you asked them in a contemporary political environment to go onto the streets and launch a demonstration, I don’t think anyone would.”
But while there may be a quiet revolution going on amongst gay communities in China’s cities, both Er Yan and Steven stressed gays in China’s vast countryside had yet to feel the benefits.
Gay rights in China have come a long way, they said, but there is a lot further to go.
A lot of gays, even in the cities, are still wary of the Internet; some see it as something “naughty” where guys go for anonymous encounters or paid sex. Shifting the mentality so that they think of it in terms of a community in which there is a safety net and friends who care — that’s going to be a big hurdle for a group that has for so long been so marginalized. But it’s happening, ands it’s a thrilling thing to watch. It’s like an ever-expanding beam of light suddenly shining into a tunnel, slowly spreading everywhere.
Related Post: Gays in China
1
By Zhang Li En
I’d be rather cautious about coming out in China … things have a way of turning in roundabouts … and today’s openess may turn into tommorrow’s repression.
January 13, 2004 @ 3:14 pm | Comment
2
By Tony
As the above poster said, you’re better off being cautious about coming out. IIRC, Confucism and Taoism, two of China’s main philosophies/beliefs, tend to emphasize heterosexuality, so logically the social conservatives will behave like their American counterparts, tho that’s stretching it a bit.
‘”The US has a strong influence across the world,” he said, “and the gay rights cause in the US has been at many times considered a model for other countries to follow, which some folks here really don’t agree with because Chinese people are much more passive.’
I don’t know about you, but I wonder if they’re fully aware of the obstacles that gay rights face here in the US, seeing how we have people like Dr. Laura.
January 13, 2004 @ 4:14 pm | Comment
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By richard
I would not encourage anyone to come out in China — quite the contrary! The time for that just hasn’t arrived yet. Same even in Singapore and HK — it can be done, but with extreme discretion and consideration. Right now there’s no benefit to coming out in China and a lot to lose, sadly.
January 13, 2004 @ 4:53 pm | Comment