As a series of performances of transgender dancers have been canceled in China, attention is being paid to the background.
CNN reported that at the end of last year, a performance by the Jinxing Dance Company scheduled in Guangzhou, China, was canceled due to lack of documents, and the performance was later canceled in other regions without clear reasons.
CNN interpreted this as a sign that the Chinese authorities are strengthening their crackdown on LGBTQ+.
Jinsing is considered a transgender icon in China for many years, and he has built his own career despite social discrimination.
Chinese state media also named Jinxing one of the “10 Legendary Characters of Chinese Contemporary Dance.”
Professor Sam Winter, who studies Asian transgender issues at Curtin University in Australia, said, “Jinsing has been able to win the support of the authorities over the years, but now things seem to have changed.”
After decriminalizing homosexuality in 1997, China removed it from the official list of mental illnesses in 2001. A few years ago, the LGBTQ community held an annual Pride parade in Shanghai, where college students shared their lives.
However, under President Xi Jinping’s leadership, the LGBTQ movement is said to be gradually being suppressed.
SOPHIA KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
