A Same-Sex Marriage Campaign in China?

by Michael Jones · 2009-02-25 04:57:00 UTC
Topics:

China

How's this for a cool direct action? Gay and lesbian couples in China are putting up a display of same-sex wedding photos in the heart of Beijing, to draw attention to the issue of same-sex marriage. And the event organizers are saying that China is fertile ground for a campaign to recognize same-sex marriage.

According to this story in today's Guardian, 91 percent of China is comfortable with openly gay/lesbian colleagues in the workplace, while 30 percent back same-sex marriage. Activists admit that they still need time, but that's still not stopping from pushing the issue. Are they right? Is China fertile ground for an LGBT rights movement?

Perhaps. The country only decriminalized homosexuality in the late 1990s, but in recent years, LGBT rights organizations have popped up throughout the country, and most major cities have LGBT establishments and publications. That's the good news. The bad news is that China still censors many gay books and films, and also has a track record of shutting down LGBT gatherings (both social and political).

Still, it's cool to see such a vivid display of LGBT relationships on display in the heart of one of China's biggest cities. One of the brides in the photo above said that the reason people need to see these images is because it shows folks that LGBT people can have loving families and partners. As she told the Guardian: "Family is such an important concept here; people aren't supportive of homosexuality because they basically believe same-sex couples can't form a family. If we have stable families, society will see we are safe, that we are mainstream."

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
PREVIOUS STORY:
The 50 Spot: Bigoted Catholic Bishop Attacks Diversity on Campus
NEXT STORY:
On Aeroflot's Birthday, Russian Activists Condemn Company's Anti-Gay Record. And You Can Help.

COMMENTS (1)

    Comment Policy

    · All fields are required to comment.

    [X]

    Comments on Change.org are meant for further exploration and evaluation of the campaign on Change.org. To that end, we welcome constructive comments. However, we reserve the right to delete comments which, as determined solely in our discretion: (1) are offensive, abusive, or off-topic; (2) include content solely intended to personally attack the campaign creator, (3) are designed to subvert or hijack comment threads rather than contribute to them; and/or (4) violate our terms of service and/or privacy policy. Repeat offenders may be permanently removed from the site at our discretion. Please also be advised that: (A) we do not actively curate and/or monitor in any manner whatsoever the comments made on the Change.org platform, and (B) the creator of each campaign on Change.org may remove any comment at her/his/its discretion.