reader Posted July 28, 2019 Posted July 28, 2019 From South China Morning Post Gay Chinese find a place to be themselves on ‘Rainbow Cruise’ to Vietnam Workshops, talks and advice on LGBT issues are on offer during five-day return journey from Shenzhen to Da Nang With more than 1,000 gay Chinese and their families on board the ship, it’s also a place for some to come out On the deck of a cruise ship in southern China, two grey-haired men stood in silence, shoulders touching, looking out to sea, as other passengers bustled on board and settled in for the journey to Vietnam. Among them was Yang Yong, a 35-year-old banker who boarded the Costa Atlantica with his elderly parents. He told them he got a cheap deal – his mother was pleased, but his father was less enthusiastic. For Yang, it was important that they join him, so he did not say much about the trip. They thought it was just a family holiday. Aged in their 70s, Yang’s parents had been worried about their unmarried son, even arranging blind dates for him in the hope he would meet someone and settle down. Sitting with them after breakfast on the second day, Yang dropped the bombshell. “I want you to know, this will have an impact on our lives,” he said, tears welling in his eyes. “I thought about not telling you, but I want us all to live together in the future, so I have to say it.” His mother asked if he was ill. His father asked if he was attracted to men. They were on the “Rainbow Cruise” from Shenzhen to Da Nang, along with more than 1,000 gay Chinese and their families. During the five-day return voyage, they could attend workshops, talks and activities including speed dating on board the cruise ship, and get support and advice on LGBT issues. It was also a place for some, like Yang, to come out. In its third year, the annual event in June was organised by PFLAG China, an NGO based in Guangzhou that supports the LGBT community, their parents and friends. It is held on a cruise ship because it is difficult to find a venue for a mass LGBT event in mainland China, where homosexuality is not openly discussed. It was illegal until 1997 and was removed from an official list of mental disorders only in 2001. Attitudes towards homosexuality remain generally closed in Chinese society, in part due to a traditional Confucian emphasis on marriage and having children. Although the LGBT community is estimated at 70 million people and vibrant gay scenes do exist in the mainland’s large cities, for many it is a struggle to be accepted by their families and society. Stories are rife of people being forced to have so-called conversion therapy or entering into sham marriages. The theme for this year’s cruise was “Be yourself, discover a brand new world”. For Yang, it was inconceivable that he could “be himself” when he was younger, a time when he felt ashamed of being gay and wanted to keep it a secret. But that all changed after he moved to Guangzhou for work eight years ago and came across PFLAG China. Continues at https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3020289/gay-chinese-find-place-be-themselves-rainbow-cruise-vietnam TotallyOz, eurasian and Moses 3 Quote
TotallyOz Posted July 28, 2019 Posted July 28, 2019 Great article. Thanks. I came out to my very southern mama over Thanksgiving in NYC. I took her to see Beautiful Thing and we had a great Thanksgiving meal together in the West Village. I told her before those events but when she saw men walking down the street holding hands, she looked at me and said, "you are home now aren't you?" She knew that the city was where I needed to be and never again asked me to move to Alabama. reader, Moses and eurasian 3 Quote
