A Roundtable Discussion With Some of BJ’s Prominent LGBT Voices

Compassion, empathy, and inclusiveness. Together, those terms should become a mantra of sorts for Beijingers thinking of goodwill and self betterment in 2018. At least that’s the conclusion reached by some of the capital’s most prominent LGBT voices during a recent roundtable discussion held at the Beijing LGBT Center.

Our participants included Ying Xin, director of the Beijing LGBT Center; Mondo Wang, owner of Adam’s (billed as one of Sanlitun’s first gay bars upon opening in 2015); Glenn Schuitman, creative director and founding partner at the since closed Pop-Up Beijing (which prided itself on hosting inclusive events and being a safe space; he's gone on to focus on the cheekily titled Straight Spirit); and Christopher Lee, a student at Beijing International Studies University who has conducted a survey about gay leisure spaces and tourism in Beijing. The panel discussed the importance of LGBT-friendly events, along with deeper measures that can lead to more lasting, beneficial, and progressive change. Below, we’ve highlighted some of the most insightful comments from that discussion.

The panel agreed that it is a good idea to make "inclusivity" a mantra in 2018

Ying Xin (YX): LGBT life has improved considerably in Beijing recently. We can now see many LGBT-friendly restaurants around town. Ten years ago, people had to go to more underground places.

Christopher Lee (CL): I’m relatively new to Beijing; I’ve only been here 16 months. Before, I had always assumed Beijing would be more conservative, so I was pleasantly surprised to see that it has a large number of safe spaces in schools and in leisure areas, particularly where there are lots of foreigners. I was inspired to explore that further with my study. I don’t think, from a constitutional perspective, that Beijing has turned the corner on these matters yet, but from a social perspective it’s quite promising.

Mondo Wang (MW): My bar was founded as a gay bar a few years ago, but the clientele has since become way more obviously mixed. All my straight and LGBT friends come together, young and old, drink and party, make yellow jokes [jokes of a sexual nature], and have a great time. Even plenty of transgender people come now – recently I saw a very handsome female to male transgender customer at my bar, and I thought it was really amazing. Things really have changed quite a bit in Beijing.

YX: Yes, things are better now. But there are still a lot of discrimination. A recent survey conducted by Peking University determined that only a fraction of LGBT people in China are completely out, especially in the workplace, because they don’t feel that those offices are safe spaces. At Western companies, it’s usually better, but if you’re talking about domestic companies, it’s another story.  So last year we worked with Google and Bayer at their headquarters in Beijing. They invited us to organize staff training seminars about inclusiveness. And we’ve done the same for staff at local businesses like Great Leap Brewing.

So if you want to help, aside from volunteering or attending an event, you can also go to your workplace and ask your boss to invite us to give your colleagues some seminars.

CL: I think that’s a great idea. It’s good to change the typical dynamic at most offices, and create more dialogue about diversity and inclusion. Part of it can be simple and fun – like instead of having a casual Friday, have everyone wear a particular colored shirt as a sign and symbol. It’s all about making diversity and inclusiveness more mainstream, instead of volunteering at one event or making one donation and thinking “Ta-da! I did it! I’m a supporter!” Because, of course, the long-term goal is to not think about LGBT spaces but just inclusive spaces in general.

Ying Xin of the Beijing LGBT Center, Mondo Wang of Adam’s, Christopher Lee of Beijing International Studies University, and Glenn Schuitman of Pop-Up Beijing and Straight Spirit

Glenn Schuitman (GS): Yes, it really is crucial to make such attitudes more mainstream. But that’s not to say events aren’t important as well. And yet, I also think we need to bring more nuanced thinking to events and fundraising for the “ 49 30485 49 14939 0 0 3925 0 0:00:07 0:00:03 0:00:04 3925LGBT community.” For instance: One of the key charities we worked with at Pop-Up was the China Red Ribbon Foundation. We not only gave them money, but we also shared their story and highlighted and sponsored one of their specific programs, the Blessing Bag program, and that had nothing to do with the LGBT community.

The China Red Ribbon Foundation is all about working with communities to reduce the transmission of HIV and support the health challenges that individuals who have HIV face. This particular Blessing Bag program is for mothers and babies in poor rural communities, and it involves raising money for bags filled with clothing, towels, toys, nappies, and feeders. Those bags are a symbol of giving, but the program is focused on the fathers, who are the decision-makers in these communities; the father decides to take on this box, while also pledging to encourage healthy birthing practices, follow health procedures, and so on.

When we held up those blessing bags and told that story in Chinese and English to our diverse audience at Pop-Up, we were showing that each of us can make a difference by donating. We wanted to not only support organizations that directly help the LGBT community, we also wanted to help programs that show HIV affects so many other people, not just the pink community. Through these events, and sharing these stories, we can remember that we don’t have to separate ourselves, that we can be inclusive

CL: That’s the next step that needs to be taken. Because many LGBT people don’t want to be pigeonholed into LGBT spaces, they want to be in a space that’s accepting and inclusive in general, not just in terms of sexual orientation but also gender, race, and more. It’s about pushing the agenda of inclusivity, diversity, and acceptance.

So if I could suggest anything, it would be for Beijingers to try and be more inclusive, accepting and respectful in general. Because we are all people at the end of the day, and if you decide to be more respectful of people, you will eventually become more sensitive and empathetic to everyone you come into contact with.

To learn more about resources related to Beijing’s LGBT community, go here: bjlgbtcenter.org.cn.

This article first appeared in the January/February 2018 issue of the Beijinger, which you can read via PDF online or in hard copy at all of your favorite venues across town.

Photos: Uni You

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