PTCC Furthers Exchanges and Research on LGBTQ Equality in China
Over the past several decades, LGBTQ people in China have achieved greater visibility and support by initiating countless conversations throughout society: in families, schools, workplaces, the media, the academy, and even in court through pioneering rights litigation. While stigma and prejudice persist, and the space for advocacy has significantly shrunk in recent years, LGBTQ people continue to find ways to sustain their communities, cultivate new supporters, and start transformative conversations.
In this ever-changing environment, the Paul Tsai China Center, with programming led by Senior Fellow Darius Longarino, has continued its significant work facilitating exchanges and research on LGBTQ equality with influential scholars, legal and health professionals, and other Chinese stakeholders. Topics range from legal recognition of same-sex couples and queer families to anti-discrimination litigation4 to LGBTQ-affirmative therapy5.
The Center regularly hosts visiting scholars from top universities, think tanks, and civil society organizations in China to conduct research6 and publish articles in both English7 and Chinese8 on real-world issues of pressing importance that inform public and policymaking discussions9. For example, in January 2024, former visiting scholar Peng Yanhui spoke at Davos about how to improve workplace inclusion for LGBTQ people in China. In October 2023, former visiting scholar Professor Lu Haina of Renmin University Law School, who focused on equal employment rights for LGBTQ people while at the Tsai Center, was elected as a member of the UN Human Rights Council Working Group on discrimination against women and girls.
Longarino also promotes understanding of developments inside China by frequently publishing on LGBTQ rights10 advocacy11 and providing timely analysis12 and commentary13, including being quoted in media such as The New York Times14, The Los Angeles Times15, The Washington Post16, The Economist17, and The South China Morning Post18. Longarino, alongside former visiting scholars Hu Zhijun and Peng Yanhui, also recently served on a research team hosted by the UCLA School of Law’s Williams Institute that surveyed19 social attitudes toward LGBTQ people in mainland China.
