this post was submitted on 12 Sep 2023
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Xinyu Wen traveled to Thailand in June, planning a two-week vacation around Bangkok’s Pride parade. But the 28-year-old ended up staying a month and a half, soaking up the Thai capital’s thriving LBGTQ+ community.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:


At home, Wen said she regularly gets judgmental stares on the street for wearing her hair short like a man’s, and was once asked by her barber: “What happened to your life?”

More than that, she said she was also impressed by the protest element to the event, in which people carried signs written in traditional Chinese with slogans like “China has no LGBTQ” and “Freedom is what we deserve.”

“Although I initially had a critical attitude toward the parade in Bangkok because discrimination against LGBTQ individuals hasn’t disappeared, I still felt inspired because the neglected groups and the suppressed feelings matter here.”

Thailand Tourism Authority official Apichai Chatchalermkit said in an Aug. 9 article in The Nation newspaper that LGBTQ+ tourists are considered “high-potential” as they tend to spend more and travel more frequently than other visitors.

Being gay is not illegal in China, though other Asian countries have strict laws around homosexuality — such as Malaysia, which announced in August that anyone in possession of an LGBTQ+-themed watch could be jailed for 3 years.

The 28-year-old, who works in the television industry, first visited Thailand four years ago and remembers being shocked to hear people talk casually about their same-sex partners.


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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Yeah, a lot of people seem to think that Communists are more LGBT friendly than average governments, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

Yeah, but even when it was communist, it wasn't LBGT friendly.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

old school chinese folks are absolutely not LGBT friendly to say the least

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

They aren't LGBT friendly, but I don't think they are as bad as US conservatives. Most conservative Chinese people would talk behind your back like "look at that gay couple, so weird", but most people aren't gonna be shouting at your face or attacking you, at worst, you get get labeled the "weirdo" of the village. If you're in the city, that doesn't even matter much.

The CCP doesn't actively hunt down people unless they protest about it. It's sorta a "Don't ask, Don't tell" situation. You won't get protection from discrimination, you wont get LGBT media on tv, you can't have LGBT events in public, but at least you can quietly live your life.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

You'll get protection if discrimination passes a certain point, but it's really more of a "hey you shouldn't treat people that way" and not a "hey you shouldn't treat gay people that way."

A lot of older Chinese people just feel that the Western LGBT environment is rather odd: the rampant sexualization and PDA is at odds with the traditionally conservative culture. If the LGBT movement had adopted a more traditional protest scheme rather than the flair of flamboyance it has today, it would have seen much more support in China imo.

Also, a lot of Chinese TV has homoerotic undertones, idk what you're watching.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Yeah but the problem with your argument is it's the Chinese people that aren't LGBTQ friendly. The communist government actually is.

Here's an article from the CCP celebrating LGBTQ people getting their equivalent of civil unions.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2019-08-09/LGBT-couples-in-China-file-for-voluntary-guardianship-J15eC8QcrC/index.html

Here's a list of popular Chinese Boy Love dramas that were created in China and approved by the CCP

https://litdarlings.com/10-best-chinese-bl-dramas-to-watch-now/

Yes, China censors actual kissing and physical contact in their LGBTQ films, however, that actually applies to straight films too. China just likes to censor things. However, it does not actively pick on LGBTQ.

The problem is the people, as per the article

Being gay is not illegal in China, At home, Wen said she regularly gets judgmental stares on the street for wearing her hair short like a man’s, and was once asked by her barber: “What happened to your life?”