Relational interaction and embodiment: Conceptualizing meanings of LGBTQ+ activism in digital China

Abstract

This article theoretically and empirically explores meanings of recent activism practised by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and other non-heterosexual groups (LGBTQ+) in China. Chinese LGBTQ+ individuals, like the majority of Chinese citizens, are generally self-restrained in popular contention because of the political risks involved. They also face widespread discrimination from the public when revealing their LGBTQ+ identities. This article is concerned with the perceived meanings of Chinese LGBTQ+ individuals suppressing engrained self-constraint to promote LGBTQ+ contention and certain level of collective action. Theoretically, I conceptualize Chinese LGBTQ+ protests as relational interactions undertaken by LGBTQ+ individuals with other people of queer identities (ingroup members), authorities and the public based on the logic of connective action. I also explore the concepts of embodiment and online embodiment to understand individuals’ sensual experiences during LGBTQ+ contention. Empirically, I examine university student Qiu Bai’s lawsuits with the Education Ministry and her social media campaign against homophobic textbooks. Drawing on in-depth interviews and textual analysis, the case study provides a dialectical account of individuals’ experience of embodiment and self-constraint.

Non-conformist Visions of Chinese Female Queers: Locating Emotional Appealing in Chinese Lesbian Movies Small Talk (2016) and Intimates (1997)

“…In China, parents' expectation is always the most crucial tenet for people to obey in the process of working and living. As Chen suggests, the conception of "self" is initially defined by one's familial relations and parents, thus, filial piety is important for being a person [17]. However, within the perception of most Chinese parents owning female kids, their daughter is expected to marry a reliable male.…”