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 litigation to LGBTQ-affirmative therapy.
The Center regularly hosts visiting scholars from top universities, think tanks, and civil society organizations in China to conduct research and publish articles in both English and Chinese on real-world issues of pressing importance that inform public and policymaking discussions. 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 rights advocacy and providing timely analysis and commentary, including being quoted in media such as The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Economist, and The South China Morning Post.
