LGBTQ Center in Beijing Shuttered
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An advocacy group that also served as a safe space for the LGBTQ community in Beijing closed on Monday.
“We very regretfully announce, due to forces beyond our control, the Beijing LGBT Center will stop operating today,” read a notice posted on the center's official WeChat account Monday night.
The group’s shuttering marks a critical blow for advocacy groups that once had been able to be public about their work for LGBTQ+ rights.
“They are not the first group, nor are they the largest, but because Beijing LGBT Center was in Beijing, it represented China's LGBT movement,” said one Chinese activist who requested anonymity.
“In our political, economic and cultural center, having this type of organization was a symbol of the LGBT movement's presence.”
The Beijing LGBT Center described its mission as evolving; it started as a safe space for the community to host events. Then it became an advocacy group aiming to "improve the living conditions for the sexually diverse community.”
They offered low-cost mental health counseling and published lists of LGBTQ-friendly health professionals.
Throughout its evolving mission, the center hosted public speakers, film screenings and other events. Mr. C, who keeps his real name secret to protect his parents’ privacy, was one of the center's featured transgender speakers.
Mr. C sued his former employers for letting him go after an 8-day trial period. He alleged it was because of his gender expression. They also hosted Liu Peilin, a transgender woman in her 60s, who spoke about being mocked online for dressing in women’s clothes.
Groups like the Beijing LGBT Center continued to publicly push for rights such as same-sex marriage even after a nationwide crackdown on human rights lawyers and activists that started in 2015.
In the past few years, that limited space has shrunk further.
The well-known group called LGBT Rights Advocacy China, which brought strategic lawsuits to push for policy change and expanding rights, closed down in 2021.
The group's founder was previously based in China but has since relocated abroad. He declined to be named out of fear of retribution toward his family in China.
In July 2021, WeChat shut down dozens of accounts with LGBTQ+ topics that were run by university students and non-profit groups. In response, some groups changed their names, removing words like “gay” or “sexual minority” that would easily trigger the censors, though it was largely ineffective.
Until Monday, the Beijing LGBT Center stayed in operation despite the censors and growing pressure. The group worked with the United Nations Development Program to conduct a nationwide survey on sexuality and gender in 2015, aiming to provide a baseline on the hardships that face LGBTQ+ people living in China.
The survey asked respondents about their access to social services, health care, and how societal attitudes affected them.
*The opinions expressed in the article are solely those of the author.*
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