Qualities of Desire: Imagining Gay Identities in China

Rofel, Lisa

doi:10.1215/10642684-5-4-451

Cited by 150 publications

(29 citation statements)

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“…She does not entertain Altman's idea of gay globalization. Instead, she argues that 'cultural citizenship,' or the desire of belonging in China, which is characterized by a gay men's pursuit of living in harmony with family and society, establishes the proper performance of gayness in contemporary China (Rofel 1999). Hence, the western imported notion of being gay, instead of directly providing a 'gay' identity to Chinese homosexual men, produces the 'spaces of identification' that is rooted in their own cultural understanding of same-sex desire.…”

Section: Wandering Men ( Piao Piao ) In the City: A Local Homosexual mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They are predominantly young, coming of age after 'Wandering men' no longer wander around 585 China was incorporated into the global capitalist system (Rofel 1999). For these young and well-educated gay men in Chengdu, they also use the American term 'gay' as self-identity but less frequently.…”

Section: From Piao Piao To Tongzhi/gay: New Identity New Communitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(Chou 2000: 125) Rofel also links the performance of gayness to transnational connections in her study of gay men in Beijing (Rofel 1999).…”

Section: From Piao Piao To Tongzhi/gay: New Identity New Communitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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‘Wandering men’ no longer wander around: the production and transformation of local homosexual identities in contemporary Chengdu, China

Wei¹

2007

Inter-Asia Cultural Studies

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This paper focuses on the production and transformation of homosexual identities inChengdu under the background of Chinese society in transition. From a constructionist perspective, I complicate the identity construction process by examining the interaction of three male homosexual identities found in the local context -piao piao, tongzhi, and gay. While gay men in present-day Chengdu often use piao piao, tongzhi, and gay interchangeably, these terms entail different cultural references and political connotations. I argue that the piao piao identity serves as a critical linkage between the traditional imagination of male homosexuality and the modern gay identities, while the tongzhi identity facilitates the shift of Chinese homosexuality from behavior to identity, and contributes to the development of gay communities in present-day China.K EYWORDS : piao piao , gender identity, homosexuality, Chengdu Current scholarship has noted the development of homosexual identity in China. The globalization of Euro -American modernity results in the spread of a universal gay identity and 'common consciousness' across the globe. Under the influence of transnational gay networks, modern gay identities emerged in Chinese metropolises during the 1990s. In particular, tongzhi became an identity term widely adopted by the Chinese homosexual population. Although it is often argued that tongzhi serves as an indigenous Chinese gay identity, it is actually a recent invention by gay activists in Hong Kong. For me, tongzhi cannot completely count as an indigenous identity; rather, a localized appropriation of the western gay identity. In this paper, I will complicate the identity construction process by examining the interaction of three male homosexual identities i.e. piao piao , tongzhi , and gay in contemporary Chengdu, giving special attention to piao piao , the identity adopted by local homosexual men prior to the emergence of tongzhi as the predominant Chinese gay identity. I argue that the piao piao identity in the local context serves as a critical linkage between the traditional imagination of male homosexuality and the modern gay and tongzhi identities.

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Section: Wandering Men ( Piao Piao ) In the City: A Local Homosexual mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: From Piao Piao To Tongzhi/gay: New Identity New Communitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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‘Wandering men’ no longer wander around: the production and transformation of local homosexual identities in contemporary Chengdu, China

Wei¹

2007

Inter-Asia Cultural Studies

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“…The term psychopathic personality was sufficiently broad to envelop a number of conditions, including homosexuality as it was defined by the diagnostic norms of the time. In 1965, U.S. immigration law was again reworded and revised to exclude gays and lesbians under the aegis of their being "sexual deviates" (Luibhéid & Cantú, 2005, p. 2003Ratti, 1993;Rofel, 1999;Sinnott, 2004). 13 The migratory barriers faced by same-sex-attracted individuals and same-sex couples cannot be understood outside the context of historical exclusions around perceived differences, including those of race, national origin, gender, and class.…”

Section: Historicizing Lesbian and Gay Migrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual borderlands: Lesbian and gay migration, human rights, and the metropolitan community church

Howe

2007

Sex Res Soc Policy

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This article considers several questions surrounding sexual migration, binational same-sex couples, legal precedent, and the role of religious communities in lesbian and gay migration to the United States. With theoretical aspects of human rights serving as a starting point, the article then moves to a consideration of the legal dynamics of migration, the history of U.S. (im)migration law in relation to lesbian and gay asylum claims, and the Uniting American Families Act (2005). Drawing from the concept of sexual migration, the article proposes that religious or spiritual communities may provide important networks and ideological resources for lesbian and gay migrants who subscribe to religious values, particularly in a context of politically incendiary claims surrounding homosexuality and immigration. The analysis centers on the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC), suggesting that with its socially legitimatized status, MCC may provide philosophical foundations necessary for effectively addressing human rights for lesbian and gay migrants.

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“…For a theoretical discussion of this aspect of contemporary Chinese culture, see Yang (1994). For analysis of gay identity-formation in contemporary Beijing as restricted by the cultural belief of 'the face', see Rofel (1999).…”

Section: Notesmentioning

confidence: 99%

'How come I can't stand guarantee for my own life?': Taiwan citizenship and the cultural logic of queer identity

Chao¹

2002

Inter-Asia Cultural Studies

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Qualities of Desire: Imagining Gay Identities in China

Cited by 150 publications

References 0 publications

‘Wandering men’ no longer wander around: the production and transformation of local homosexual identities in contemporary Chengdu, China

‘Wandering men’ no longer wander around: the production and transformation of local homosexual identities in contemporary Chengdu, China

Sexual borderlands: Lesbian and gay migration, human rights, and the metropolitan community church

'How come I can't stand guarantee for my own life?': Taiwan citizenship and the cultural logic of queer identity

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