Cruise couples on a voyage to tolerance
Print Edition
ARIES Liu, a 32-year-old man who used to be a woman, held a wedding with his partner on a cruise ship in waters off Shanghai yesterday.
The pair are one of nine gay and transgender couples getting hitched on a cruise to Japan in a weeklong series of gay pride events.
The ceremony is important to Liu because his parents only accepted his sexuality last year, although he has been out of the closet for almost two decades.
“It’s amazing to have my parents there as witnesses,” said Liu, who took an overnight train from the southern province of Guangzhou to board the ship. “Over all these years, I have been paving the way to acceptance bit by bit.”
The event underlines the limits of tolerance for gay rights in China’s mainland.
It is not illegal to be gay in China, although homosexuality was regarded as a mental disorder until 2001.
Many big cities now have growing gay scenes, but gay men and women still face family pressure to marry and have children.
Bisexual and transgender men and women also face discrimination, although society has become more accepting.
Ten years ago, when most people were unfamiliar with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues, romance was conducted underground as people could not openly seek out partners, Liu said.
“Now it’s completely different,” he added. “Many cities have lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community activities.”
Many of those waiting to board the cruise liner hoped tolerance would continue to grow. “Due to our courage to take a stand and progress now, I think gay marriage will be legal in 10 years,” said Liu.
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