Solace: Portraits of Queer Chinese Youth Herman Sarah Mei
The latest addition to a photobook series celebrating LGBTQ communities around the world, an intimate portrait of young LGBTQ people in ChinaSame-sex relationships have been an accepted part of…
Specifikacia Solace: Portraits of Queer Chinese Youth Herman Sarah Mei
The latest addition to a photobook series celebrating LGBTQ communities around the world, an intimate portrait of young LGBTQ people in ChinaSame-sex relationships have been an accepted part of Chinese culture for centuries. It was only in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, under the influence of the West, that homophobia became more prevalent; and under Mao, homosexuality was criminalized. By the turn of the last millennium, same-sex relationships were once again legal, and by 2001, homosexuality had been declassified as a mental disorder. Polling suggests that the younger generation embraces sexual diversity and LGBTQ rights. But the stigma against queer people still remains. Recent reports from China have noted government attempts to clamp down on LGBTQ media and events, and numerous citizens are still being sent by family members to conversion therapy.