In China, despite some restrictions – involving the arrests of various activists before May 17 – more than 90% of planned events around the country were successfully carried out. This amounted to a total of more than a hundred events around the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia 2014.

The following is a short report on just some of the highlights from around the country this year.

Goldman Sachs China LGBT Youth Career Workshop

On May 11, 2014, Aibai Culture and Education Center, Goldman Sachs and Beijing LGBT Center co-organized an IDAHO event “Goldman Sachs China LGBT Youth Career Workshop” in Beijing. This event was also part of Goldman Sachs’ Community TeamWorks (CTW) events in China. 25 LGBT undergraduate and graduate students from 12 universities in Beijing participated in the event. Through interactive one-to-one conversations, volunteers provided career coaching to LGBT college students, involving the exchange of practical tips and personal experiences.

Goldman Sachs China LGBT Youth Career Workshop, for IDAHOT 2014 in China.

Queer film screening and discussion in Beijing

On May 16, The Crossroads Centre and the Beijing Queer Film Festival hosted an IDAHOT event with the support of
of the French embassy, DKT International Beijing and the EU Delegation. Taking place in Library of the Goethe-Institute, the event included the screening of the documentary Global Gay followed by a discussion with the producers Valérie Montmartin and Alexandre Marcel as well as the members of the Beijing Queer Film Festival’s Committee.

The producer of ‘Global Gay’, Valérie Montmartin, talking about the documentary.

Release of new report on gay and lesbian well-being

On the same day, The Beijing LGBT Center and Institute of Psychology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences released a report on the emotional, psychological, and social well-being of gay and lesbian people in China, to mark the Day. The report is the first national survey on the mental health of gay and lesbian communities, and it focuses equally on both men and women, unlike similar surveys in the past that were focused only on gay men. A total of 1,600 respondents from all over the country completed the survey, and about 30 percent were found to have a tendency towards depression, and about 20 percent were identified as facing a particularly high risk of depression.

Beijing Queer Chorus joins the global Sing-in for IDAHOT 2014

On May 17, Beijing Queer Chorus (previously known as Tianjien Gay Chorus) performed an IDAHOT concert at Sunrise Hall, Caoyu Theater, Beijing.

Mountain hike in Changsha, Hunan Province

In Changsha, Hunan Province, despite the annual Pride Walk event being suspended by authorities, volunteers still went through with the event by proudly hiking a local mountain trail.

Storytelling and community-building in Liaocheng, Shandong Province

In Liaocheng, Shandong Province, a local LBT community organization gathered at a village fair to share their stories of being LGBT with villagers and raised visibility and awareness of LGBT issues in rural areas.

Further information

• New York Times: Tiananmen Square Anniversary Prompts Campaign of Silence
• Buzzfeed: Nine LGBT Activists Arrested in China – But Gay Pride March Still Planned
• US Embassy in China: Statement for May 17, 2014
• Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in China: Statement for May 17, 2014

Russian LGBT activists and allies in 16 cities took action for the IDAHOT 2014 despite considerable social and legal pressure, attacks and threats from opponents. 15 people were detained on May 17, all of whom are now released (June 4, 2014). Two actions were targeted by neo-nazi groups. No serious injuries occurred this year and local groups underscored the bravery and resistant spirit of LGBT communities in the country.

In most Russian cities rainbow flashmob events (coloured balloon releases) went quite well, with a considerable 150 people showing up in St. Petersburg. However, during or because of the flashmobs the police detained activists from Moscow, Murmansk, Perm and Vladimir. Two people in Moscow, 1 person in Murmansk, 11 people in Perm and 1 person in Vladimir were detained on May 17. They are now all released.

While most events in the 16 cities went without any incidents, 4 of these cities witnessed arrests. The organizer of a Rainbow flashmob event in Murmansk, Violetta Grudina, was detained before the event actually started. She was accused of “propaganda of homosexuality”. The police stated that by publishing information about LGBT events in the social network (Vkontakte), she “committed propaganda of homosexuality among minors”.

Russia, image by St Petersburg Times

On May 17 in Perm, several members of the group LGBT-Perm were also detained. An activist of another LGBT group (Raduzhniy dom), Julia Babintseva, who wasn’t detained on May 17th, was not charged with anything yet, however, she got a call from the police. Moreover, representatives of the police visited her parents. All this situation strangely resembles the situation in Samara, where after the Day of Silence LGBT activists started to get calls and then charges, all happening as a form of systematic intimidation.

The National articulation group, Russian LGBT-Network, provided legal support to Violetta Grudina and Julia Babintseva. The Chairman of the Network, Igor Kochetkov, states that “Solidarity was one of the main messages of the May 17th this year and we are ready to support everyone who suffers because of the unlawful actions of the police”.

Further Information

• Russian LGBT Network:Police getting more and more interested in the activity of LGBT activists.
• To see photos from the rainbow flashmob event in St. Petersburg, organized by “Coming Out” Organization: click here.