April Newsletter丨What the Beijing LGBT Center has done in April
President’s Office
April 4th, 2020
Participating Editing Sex Education Entries in Baidu Encyclopedia
The executive director Ying Xin was invited by Wenli Liu, an instructor of Beijing Normal University, to participate editing articles about sex education and LGBT+ groups in Baidu Encyclopedia. In April, Ying Xin organized the project team to edit the sex education articles in Baidu Encyclopedia. The intern, Maolian who is responsible for communicating with the team members of Beijing LGBT Center , works with Biwen, who is responsible for exchanging information among the Sex Education Entries Editing Project team, to manage the 19 volunteers of the Center team to edit and proofread the entries. Currently, the project team has tentatively finished editing and proofreading around 40 entries.
April 23rd, 2020
Preparation for Establishing Transgender Foundation
The executive director Ying Xin and the director of the Transgender Department, Sachi, worked together to establish the Transgender Foundation. In April, the Center communicated with collaborative foundations and donors about the idea, and the foundations and donors have accepted this proposal.
Monthly Work Report
Transgender Department
April 19th, 2020
Trans Space Support Group
This time, the Trans Space Support Group not only included the transgender participants but also attracted the family members and friends of transgender people to join the activity. This workshop made it possible for people with different perspectives to understand each other. Hetao, who hosted the activity, demonstrated her sincerity which impressed the participants deeply. The participants continued their discussion after the sharing session. All the participants thought it was quite worthy to spend one night to join this sharing session.
The poster of Transgender Support Group
April 10th, 2020
Doctor Di Xiaolan’s Workshop in Parents’ Wechat Group
Invited by transgender people’s parents, Di Xiaolan, a doctor of Beijing Huilongguan Hospital, held an online sharing session to discuss the problems faced by transgender people’s parents and their complexity.
Although a few transgender people’s parents refused to talk about this topic or left this matter alone, there was still a significant share of parents who were willing to accept and love their children, to support them to overcome various difficulties. Generally, transgender people’s parents are becoming more and more rational. Doctor Di also introduced the prerequisites for having a gender reassignment surgery in China, while she also gave her advice for the surgery.
In summary, this sharing session invited a LGBT-friendly and reputed doctor and attracted many rational parents to participate and exchange their thoughts amicably. What is significant is that lots of useful, practical, and precious ideas have emerged in this atmosphere.
The Poster of Doctor Di Xiaolan’s Workshop
Monthly Work Report
In April, we organized Trans Space Support Group sessions, a parents’ experience sharing session, a cosmetic training session, a romantic relationship experience sharing session and other related activities. These activities attracted around 200 participants. In the activities, two transgender participants received aids which include how to change one’s name and gender in diploma and opposition to conversion therapy. In the coming month, we will prepare for series of events to celebrate the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, extend media coverage and publish original articles.
Mental Health Department
April 30th, 2020
Psychological Consulting Service
In April, the Department provided a total of 59 consulting services, 56 of which were online video consulting, and 24 of which were at the discount price. We expect to re-open face-to-face consulting services after May 1st Labor Day holiday.
April 30th, 2020
BT Support Group
In April, BT Support Group organized two group leader training sessions and one group leader supervision session. The group support researchers observed 7 events and interviewed 10 participants. The Mental Health Department has provided a total of 67 services in April.
Development Department
April 18th, 2020
Support the Male Flight Attendant of Southern China Airlines to Fight against Workplace Discrimination
On April 17th, Weibo user @柴公子Sky released the recording of discussion between him and the relevant manager of Southern China Airlines. The recording has shown that the manager displayed discriminative tendency towards LGBT group. In response to this incident, our Business Project Team of the Development Department wrote a statement to advocate for workplace equality and support the victim and the statement has gather wide attention. Currently, the staff of the Center are following up with the victim and his lawyer to get updated on the case. We are trying our best to defend the victim’s rights to be treated equally in workplace.
The Official Account of the Center on Weibo Posted to Support the Victim
April 18th, 2020
Participated in Harvard China Education Symposium and Shared on the Topic of Diversity Education
On April 18th, John Shen, the director of the Development Department was invited to Harvard China Education Symposium to participate in the Diversity and Inclusion Panel to discuss how to promote diversity education in China with scholars and NGO partners.
The Symposium Switched to Online Meeting Using ZOOM.
April 10th, 2020
Executive Director Advocate for Focus on Anti-Discrimination at Workplace from the LGBT Community and Introduced the Workplace Diversity Initiative
On April 10th, the Executive Director of the Center, Ying Xin, published an article titled for the Future with Zero Discrimination in Workplace, proposing that the LGBT community should pay attention to anti-discrimination at the workplace She also introduced the intention and overview of the initiative. We are working with 34 public welfare organizations and programs to promote, and thus bringing widespread and positive influence.
April 2020
The Planning of Annual Fundraising Program of 2020-2021 Formulated
In April, the Center formulated the 2020-2021 Fundraising Program Plan. According to the outline of the plan, in the second half of 2020, we will launch specific fundraisings for the Mental Health Project, the Transgender Project, and Workplace Diversity Initiative respectively. It will ensure these projects can receive sustainable and stable operating funds.
April 29th, 2020
Help the LGBT-friendly Businesses through the COVID-19 Pandemic
On the eve of May 1st - Labor Day, we published two articles on our WeChat official account to promote the LGBT-friendly businesses which previously supported the Center for many times in Beijing. We hope to attract friends of the sexual minority community to spend at these businesses and therefore help them to overcome this economic difficulty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Monthly Work Report:
Workplace Diversity Initiative
(1) The Workplace Diversity Initiative held two official meetings regarding research on the LGBT-friendliness of businesses. The meetings discussed how to push the LGBT-friendliness research further and draw the first draft of nationwide survey questionnaire.
(2) The Gender Equality Toolkit Research Program continued to carry out the initial stage of combing through documents and inviting professional consultants. The outline of the Toolkit is gradually forming. The Toolkit will provide valuable guidance for firms and their employees for comprehensive training including gender equality, gender diversity, anti-harassment and anti-domestic violence issues, etc. in the future.
(3) The Workplace Diversity Initiative planned three upcoming workplace-themed events: Queer Workplace Talk Labor Day special, Queer Workplace Talk College Special, and Queer Workplace Talk 5.17 Transgender Special.
(4) Started planning workplace specific support group of workplace Diversity Initiative. Currently, the team of the group leader has already been in place and held two meetings.
(5) Regarding the Southern China Airlines male flight attendant case, the Workplace Diversity Initiative has made a proposal for Chinese firms - Proposal! A LGBT-friendly workplace Needs the Participation of Every Business!
(6) Communicated with 6 newly participating businesses.
Fundraising Project
In April, we welcomed 27 new members to be our Pride Partners. Currently, there are 500 Pride Partners. In April, the Center received a total donation of 19,289 yuan from our Pride Partners. Thanks for your support and companionship. We hope we can go through this difficult time together and make the Center better together. (The list of donors enclosed with Letter of Appreciation: to our Pride Partners published on May 1st is available on the Center’s WeChat official account, “Beijing LGBT Culture”)
Media Department
May 5th, 2020
Number of the Center’s Weibo Followers Reached 600 Thousand
In the beginning of May 2020, the number of the Center’s Weibo followers reached 600 thousand. The Center’s Weibo advocates for the LGBT community; meanwhile, it shares news of both China and international LGBT community and promotes online and offline activities that the members of domestic LGBT community can participate. In April, the Center’s Weibo posted 48 articles, which have been read 3.49 million times. It has comment on workplace discrimination towards the male flight attendant of the China Southern Airlines, homophobic views of a professor from Fujian Medical University, the case of Linyi Transgender Conversion Therapy, and other LGBT-related social incidents; it has also followed up on those news.
Weibo Screenshot
Community Development Department
April 8th, 2020
Routine Meeting of Leaders of Volunteer Teams
The Department held the routine meeting of leaders of the volunteer teams. During the meeting, each volunteer group’s operating status was discussed, and the needs of every team were also heard. It was decided that the new volunteers need to sign the volunteer agreement, and receive the training carried out by the Department from now on. After passing the test, new volunteers are qualified to work as members of the Center. This decision marked the beginning of the standardization and professionalism of the volunteer management.
April 5th, 2020
Harmony Cup Debate Competition: Does BL Culture Make the Public to Understand or Misunderstand Gays More?
This debate received unprecedented attention and attracted around 60 audiences. During the debate, the audiences enthusiastically asked questions and actively discussed. After the debate, most of the audiences rate this debate 4 and 5 out of 5. Here are examples of the feedback from the audiences:
“Quite meaningful, the exchange of ideas led me to understand the reason that BL culture existed.”
“Although I agreed with the opposing side, the arguments and perspectives offered by the first speaker of the affirmation side impressed me deeply.”
Review of the competition:
破冰船or潘多拉的魔盒？丨0405“耽美文化让大众更理解/更误解同性恋”活动回顾
Monthly work report:
Operations Department
April 2020
Donation Received by the Center
From March 25th to April 30th, the Center received a total of 9,121 yuan from individual donors. The donors’ list which shows the nicknames of the donors in respect for their privacy is attached below. We will use the earmarked donations for their specified purposes, and the rest will be used for the venue operations of the Center. Thank you for your trust and support.
Donors’ List
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