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Transgender people in China

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The rainbow flag, commonly the gay pride flag and sometimes the LGBT pride flag, is a symbol oflesbian,gay,bisexual,andtransgender(LGBT) pride andLGBT social movementsin use since the 1970s.

Transgenderis an overarching term to describe persons whose gender identity/expression differs from what is typically associated with the gender they were assigned at birth.[1] Since "transgender studies" was institutionalized as an academic discipline in the 1990s, it is difficult to apply transgender to Chinese culture in a historical context. There were no transgender groups or communities inHong Konguntil after the turn of the century. Today they are still known as a "sexual minority" in China.[2]

Terminology[edit]

Because Chinese transgender studies are so unfocused, a wide variety of terms are used in relation to transgender in thevarieties of Chinese.

  • Tongzhi( đồng chí,pinyintóngzhi) refers to all peoples with a non-normative sexuality or gender, includinghomosexual,bisexual,asexual,transgender,andqueerpeoples.
  • Bian xing( biến tính, biànxìng) is the most common way to say "change one's sex", though not necessarily throughsexual reassignment surgery—bian xing may also include hormonal changes and lifestyle changes.[3]
  • In Mandarin, the termkua xing bie( vượt giới tính, kùaxìngbié), literally "cutting across sex distinctions", has come into use as a literal translation of the English term "transgender", its use having proliferated from academic contexts.[4]
  • Offensive terms for trans women include "niang niang qiang" ( ẻo lả, meaning sissy boy) or "jia ya tou" ( giả nha đầu, meaning fake girl).[5]
  • "Fanchuan" ( thế vai, fǎnchùan) is the historical term forcross-dressingperforming on stage, as inBeijing operawhere males play women's parts, or inTaiwanese operawhere females play men's parts.[citation needed]

In Hong Kong, there are specific derogatory terms used towards transgender people. The most common isjan-jiu( nhân yêu ) which translates to "human monster".[citation needed]

  • Bin tai,orBiến thái( biến thái ) in Putonghua, in Hong Kong refers to a non-normative person, deviating from the reproductive heterosexual family and the normative body, gender, and sexuality expectations. It is also a derogatory term for cross-dressers,pedophiles,polygamists,homosexuals,masculine women, sissy boys, and transgender people.[6]
  • Yan yiu,orrenyaoin Putonghua, translates into human ghost, human monster or freak. It is commonly used to target transgender people, but has historically been used for any kind of gender transgression.[7]
  • The second form isnaa-jingreferring to men who are considered sissy or effeminate. However, the politically correct term for a transgender person inHong Kongiskwaa-sing-bit( vượt giới tính ). The media in Hong Kong might use the negative termjan-jiuorbin-sing-jan,referring to a sex or gender changed person.[8][9]
  • In the late 1990s, the performing group Red Top Arts ( hồng đỉnh nghệ sĩ,pyHǒngdǐng Yìrén) came to fame inTaipei,Taiwan as the island's first professional drag troupe. Since this time, "Red Top" and various homophones ( hồng đỉnh, hoành đỉnh, etc.) have come to be common combining-forms that indicates drag, cross-dressing, etc.[citation needed]

Terms forcrossdressingare many and varied. Sở thích mặc đồ khác giới (pyyìzhūangpǐ), literally "obsession with the opposite [sex's] attire", is commonly used. Cải trang (pybànzhūang), literally "to put on attire", is commonly used to mean crossdressing. Related to this is an auxiliary term fordrag queens:Cải trang Hoàng Hậu (pybànzhūang húanghòu), or "crossdressing queen". There are several terms competing as translations of the Englishdrag king,but none has reached currency yet.[10]While research shows that China's younger population is much more accepting of transgender people, offensive terminology like "jan-jim" or "bin-sing-jan" is very common.[2]

History of transgender people in China[edit]

In the mid-1930s, after the father of Yao Jinping ( Diêu cẩm bình ) went missing during the war withJapan,the 19-year-old reported having lost all feminine traits and become a man, was said to have an Adam's apple and flattened breasts, and left to find him.[11][12]Du He, who wrote an account of the event, insisted Yao had become a man,[11][13]while doctors asserted Yao was female.[13]The story was widely reported in the press,[13]and Yao has been compared toLili Elbe,who underwent sex reassignment in the same decade.[11][13]

Cross dressing in Peking Opera[edit]

A Beijing Opera or Peking Opera performer.

Sinologists often look to theatrical arts when imaging China in a transgender frame because of the prominent presence of cross-gender behavior.[14]

Peking Opera,also known asBeijing Opera,had male actors playing femaledancharacters. Men traditionally played women's roles due to women being excluded from performing in front of the public as a means of preventing carnal relations.[15]Although, before 1978, male to female cross dressing was mostly for theatrical performances, used for comedic effect or to disguise a character in order to commit a crime or defeat enemies.[citation needed]Female to male characters were considered heroic in theatrical performances.[16]

During the Ming andQing DynastiesofChina,cross dressing occurred both onstage and in everyday life. Withintheater,some who were intrigued by it would roleplay, organize their own troupes, write, and perform theatrical pieces.[17]

Many of early modern China's stories reflected cross-dressing and living the life of a different gender for a short period of time, mainly featuring the cross-dressers as virtuous, likeMulan.[17]

Li Yu,a writer and entrepreneur, featured the gendering of bodies to be dependent upon men's desires and operated by a system of gender dimorphism, assumed by social boundaries of the time. When Li Yu created an acting troupe, as many elite males did, he had a concubine that played a male role as he believed she was "suited to male" or considered her more of the masculine gender.[17]

In modern-day Peking Opera and film, there are male to female cross dressers and vice versa for characters, especially with certain time periods.[18]

Religion[edit]

Confucianism,one of the dominant value systems in China, enforces and promotes traditional gender roles. Confucianism places a strong emphasis on maintaining males as the head of the household; thus, transgender people are considered to usurp said gender roles.[citation needed]

Buddhismviews all bodily concerns as entrapment in theSamsara,including those concerning LGBT+ identities.[19]

Maoism[edit]

Younger generations that have been less exposed to Maoist ideologies are more accepting towards members of theLGBTQ+community.[5]

Child raising[edit]

According to some scholars, female infants were forced to dress up as males ( "cross-dressing" ). They claim that this, in turn, affected those children into living transgender lives.[17]

Legal aspects[edit]

After theWorld Health Organizationdropped “gender identity disorder” from itsInternational Classification of Diseases(ICD-11) in 2018, China promoted the new guidelines in medical institutions across the country.[20]

In March 2019, China accepted recommendations by theUN Human Rights Councilon banning discrimination againstLGBTpeople.[21]

In fact, as of now (2024 Q2), it is still recognized as a disease in medical practice.[22]However, transgender people in China have a different view. Some transgender people believe that reserving as a disease is beneficial for inclusion in public health insurance, thereby reducing the burden of medical expenditure.[23]

Gender reassignment[edit]

Gender reassignment on official identification documents (Resident Identity CardandHukou) is allowed in China only after thesex reassignment surgery.The following documents are required in order to apply for gender reassignment:[24]

  • A formal written request from the applicant;
  • Household Registration Book(which may need to be retrieved from the applicant's family) andResident Identity Card;
  • A certificate of gender authentication issued by a domestic tertiary hospital, along with verification of the certificate from a notary public office or judicial accreditation body;
  • A notice of permission for gender alteration [of the document] from the human resources office of the institution, collective, school, enterprise, or other work units of the individual (if applicable).

However, changing the ID card information will lead to an abnormal match with the academic qualifications, which is a very serious impact on employment. (You cannot change your student status information after graduating from university.)[25]

In China, trans women are required to notify family, prove they have no criminal record, and undergo psychological intervention in order to be allowed a prescription for hormone medication.[26]Familial disapproval had led many to seek alternative sources of their medication, including online sources.[27][28]

In the current (2024 Q2) medical practice, transgender people first go to a transgender-friendly psychology outpatient clinic to obtain a medical record with Transsexuality/Gender identity disorder (depends on different doctors and hospitals), and then go to a transgender-friendly endocrinology outpatient clinic to prescribe medication based on the case.[29]

Based on theManagement Specification on Gender Reassignment Technologypublished byNational Health Commissionin 2022, the surgical patient has to be at least over 18 years old, have the desire of intending gender reassignment persistently for more than 5 years, be unmarried in order to take thesex reassignment surgery;[30]plus, proof of familial consent is required prior to any surgical practice regardless of surgical types.[24]proof of diagnosis of gender identity disorder is required for surgery.[30][31]If a diagnosis is required, the vast majority of psychiatric clinics will require the parents not to object,[32]sometimes even if that patient is already 25 years old.[citation needed]In some cases, a one-year observation period is required after the request is made.[32]

In 2009 the Chinese government made it illegal for minors to change their officially-listed gender, stating that sexual reassignment surgery, available to only those over the age of twenty, was required in order to apply for a revision of their identification card and residence registration.[33]

In early 2014 theShanxi provincestarted allowing minors to apply for the change with the additional information of their guardian's identification card. This shift in policy allows post-surgery marriages to be recognized as heterosexual and therefore legal.[34]

In 2020, a transgender employee who was terminated by the e-commerce platformDangdangfor undergoing her reassignment surgery sued the company and won.[20]

In 2022, the National Health Commission lowered the minimum age for surgery from 20 to 18 and removed a previous requirement of one-year psychological or psychiatric therapy before surgery.[20]

In November 2022, Chinese government began preparations to restrict internet purchases ofestradiolandcyproterone,and a draft had been reviewed.[27][28]The ban was put in place in December so that even those with prescriptions cannot buy these drugs online.[35]Now(24Q3)it can be purchased(onTaobao) but the review is very strict, much stricter than other prescription drugs.[citation needed]

Social support[edit]

Prior to its closure in 2023, TheBeijing LGBT Center(Chinese:Bắc Kinh đồng chí trung tâm) was primarily composed of four organizations:Aizhi xing AIDS Organization,Tongyu Lala Organization, Aibai Cultural and Education Center, and Les+.[36]Tongyu Lala was an organization based inBeijingthat combatted discrimination against and was an advocate for social inclusion of lesbians, bisexual women, and transgender people. The group also helped organize LGBT groups in China.[37]

Events promoting LGBT rights and equality in China include or included theInternational Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia,theBeijing Queer Film Festival,and parades held in Beijing, Guangzhou,Hong Kong,andShanghai).[36]

Challenges[edit]

Youth[edit]

Transgender youthinChinaface many challenges. One study found that Chinese parents report 0.5% (1:200) of their 6 to 12-year boys and 0.6% (1:167) of girls often or always ‘state the wish to be the other gender’. 0.8% (1:125) of 18- to 24-year-old university students who are birth-assigned males (whose sex/gender as indicated on their ID card is male) report that the ‘sex/gender I feel in my heart’ is female, while another 0.4% indicating that their perceived gender was ‘other’. Among birth-assigned females, 2.9% (1:34) indicated they perceived their gender as male, while another 1.3% indicating ‘other’.[38]

One transgender man recounts his childhood as one filled with confusion and peer bullying. In school he was mocked for being a tomboy and was regularly disciplined by teachers for displaying rowdy boy-like behavior. Some recommended to his parents that he be institutionalized.[33]

These attitudes may be slowly changing and many Chinese youth are able to live happy and well-adjusted lives as members of the LGBT+ community in modern China.[5]In July 2012 the BBC reported that the new open economy has led to more freedom of sexual expression in China.[39]

In 2021, China's first clinic fortransgender children and adolescentswas set up at theChildren's Hospital of Fudan UniversityinShanghaito safely and healthily manage transgender minors' transition.[40]

According to a survey conducted by Peking University, Chinesetrans femalestudents face strong discrimination in many areas of education.[41]Sex segregationis found everywhere in Chinese schools and universities: student enrollment (for some special schools, universities and majors), appearance standards (hairstylesanduniformsincluded), private spaces (bathrooms, toilets and dormitories included), physical examinations,military trainings,conscription,PEclasses,PEexams and physical health tests. Chinese students are required to attend all the activities according to their legal gender marker. Otherwise they will be punished. It is also difficult to change the gender information of educational attainments and academic degrees in China, even aftersex reassignment surgery,which results in discrimination against well-educated trans women.[42][43]

Workplace discrimination[edit]

A 2021 survey in Beijing showed that half of the transgender respondents do not express their gender identity at work and 34% said they had experienced workplace discrimination. The unemployment rate in the transgender community was much higher than China's urban unemployment rate.[20]

Gender-affirming treatments[edit]

In 2019,Amnesty Internationalreported that transgender people in China resorted to unregulated used of medication andself-surgerydue to inadequate access to information, legal and administrative barriers to gender-affirming surgeries. Many were afraid to come out to their parents. Some purchased hormone drugs through unregulated channels online, overseas, or on theblack market.Specialized gender-affirming health care facilities are not common in China, although a multi-disciplinary medical team for gender-affirming treatments, the first of its kind, opened in 2018 atPeking University Third Hospital.[21]

Transgender culture[edit]

Literature[edit]

Literature and plays in the 17th century featured cross-dressing, like Ming dramatistXu Weiwho wroteFemale Mulan Takes Her Father’s Place in the ArmyandThe Female Top Candidate Rejects a Wife and Receives a Husband.Despite the female to male cross dressing, the woman would eventually return to her socially gendered roles of wearing women's clothes and would marry a man.[17]

Social media and technology[edit]

Technological advancements help to promote greater awareness among youth of LGBT+ issues. Access to Western media such as trans-themed web sites and featuring of trans-identifying characters in Western movies are broadening the knowledge and sense of community that many trans youth seek.[5][44]

Transgender people in media[edit]

Entertainers:

Models:

Citizens:

The following Chinese films portray transgender characters:[2]

In addition, in the 2019 documentary film,The Two Lives of Li Ermao,a transmigrant worker"transitions from male to female, then back to male," which some promoted as part of "Love Queer Cinema Week."[47]

Policy[citation needed][edit]

Policies for transgender are always erratic, Some of the content in the text may quickly become outdated. To some extent, this is also characteristic of China, and in 2020, China's policies towards various subcultural groups have fluctuated violently (e.g.,Airsoft)

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^"GLAAD Media Reference Guide – Transgender Issues".GLAAD.2011-09-09.Retrieved14 April2015.
  2. ^abcChiang, Howard (2012-12-11).Transgender China.New York: Palgrave MacMillan. p. 269.ISBN978-0-230-34062-6.
  3. ^Baird, Vanessa (2003).Giới tính đa dạng hóa: Hoa văn màu giới tính quang phổ.Thư lâm xuất bản công ty hữu hạn. p. 25.ISBN9789575869953.Retrieved5 July2015.
  4. ^"Chung wai literary quarterly".2002. p. 212.Retrieved5 July2015.
  5. ^abcdShiu, Ling-po (2008).Developing Teachers and Developing Schools in Changing Contexts.Chinese University Press. pp. 298–300.ISBN978-9629963774.
  6. ^Erni, John Nguyet (2018-12-07).Law and Cultural Studies: A Critical Rearticulation of Human Rights.Routledge.ISBN9781317156215.
  7. ^Emerton, Robyn (2006)."Finding a voice, fighting for rights: the emergence of the transgender movement in Hong Kong".Inter-Asia Cultural Studies.7(2): 243–269.doi:10.1080/14649370600673896.S2CID145122793.Retrieved2019-09-03.
  8. ^"Transgender China".Retrieved2 April2015.
  9. ^Chiang, Howard (2012-12-11).Transgender China.New York: Palgrave MacMillan. p. 266.ISBN978-0-230-34062-6.
  10. ^"Cantonese: Sex màu vàng chữ".Cantonese.ca.Retrieved5 July2015.
  11. ^abcP. Zhu,Gender and Subjectivities in Early Twentieth-Century Chinese Literature(2015,ISBN1137514736), page 115.
  12. ^Chiang, Howard (2018).Sexuality in China: Histories of Power and Pleasure.pp. 240–241.ISBN978-0295743486.
  13. ^abcdChiang, Howard (2018).After Eunuchs: Science, Medicine, and the Transformation of Sex in Modern China.New York: Columbia University Press.
  14. ^Chiang, Howard (2012-12-11).Transgender China.New York: Palgrave MacMillan. p. 8.ISBN978-0-230-34062-6.
  15. ^"Transgender China".Retrieved2 April2015.
  16. ^Zhang, Qing Fei (2014). "Transgender Representation by thePeople's DailySince 1949 ".Sexuality & Culture.18:180–195.doi:10.1007/s12119-013-9184-3.S2CID144742299.
  17. ^abcdeKile, Sarah E. (Summer 2013). "Transgender Performance in Early Modern China".Differences: A Journal of Feminist Cultural Studies.24(2): 131–145.doi:10.1215/10407391-2335085.
  18. ^Chengzhou He (2 December 2011).Performance and the Politics of Gender: Transgender Performance in Contemporary Chinese Film.Brown University.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-12-13.Retrieved2 April2015.
  19. ^Greenberg, Yudit Kornberg, ed. (2007)."Homosexuality in Buddhism".Encyclopedia of Love in World Religions.Vol. 2. ABC-CLIO. p. 303.ISBN978-1-85109-981-8.
  20. ^abcd"Trans rights boosted in China as court backs sacked worker, calls for 'respect'".South China Morning Post.7 December 2023.
  21. ^ab"Transgender people in China risk their lives with dangerous self-surgery".Amnesty International.10 May 2019.
  22. ^"Nam Kinh ｜ tào thu vân – MtF.wiki".MtF.wiki(in Chinese). china: github /project-trans.
  23. ^"X thượng thần lặc bản manh lăng 🏳️‍⚧️:" Quả nhiên không phải... "twitter(in Chinese).Greatly increases the financial burden of access and raises the bar one level higher---- đại tăng lớn khám bệnh kinh tế gánh nặng, đem ngạch cửa lại nâng lên một cấp bậc
  24. ^ab"Legal Gender Recognition in China: A Legal and Policy Review"(PDF).UNDP. 2018-08-05.
  25. ^"Học tịch bằng cấp thay đổi chỉ dẫn – MtF.wiki".MtF.wiki(in Chinese). github /project-trans."The personal information registered on the graduation certificate and the school credit card website is consistent with the information in its hukou and ID card at the time of graduation, so it is not eligible for revision of academic registration information.---- bằng tốt nghiệp cập học tin võng đăng ký cá nhân tin tức cùng với tốt nghiệp khi sổ hộ khẩu, thân phận chứng tin tức nhất trí, bởi vậy không phù hợp bằng cấp đăng ký tin tức sửa chữa điều kiện"
  26. ^Murphy, Colum."China's First Clinic for Transgender Kids Opens in Shanghai".Bloomberg News.
  27. ^abYang, Caini (8 November 2022)."China's Plan to Ban Online Sale of Hormone Drugs Worries Trans Women".Sixth Tone.Retrieved9 January2023.
  28. ^ab"Quốc gia Cục Quản lý Dược phẩm tổng hợp tư công khai trưng cầu 《 dược phẩm internet tiêu thụ cấm danh sách ( trưng cầu ý kiến bản thảo ) 》 ý kiến"[The State Drug Administration Department of comprehensive public consultation "drug network sales ban list (draft for comment)" comments].nmpa.gov.cn.National Medical Products Administration.Retrieved9 January2023.
  29. ^"Hoan nghênh – MtF.wiki".MtF.wiki(in Chinese). github /project-trans.
  30. ^ab"G05 giới tính trọng trí kỹ thuật lâm sàng ứng dụng quản lý quy phạm ( 2022 năm bản )"(PDF).Trung Hoa nhân dân nước cộng hoà quốc gia vệ sinh khỏe mạnh ủy ban. May 2022. pp. 47–52.
  31. ^"Tinh thần khoa chữa bệnh tài nguyên nói khái quát – MtF.wiki".MtF.wiki(in Chinese). github /project-trans."Certificate": means a formal "certificate of diagnosis" that can be used for surgery--- “Đại chứng”: Chỉ ra chỗ sai thức “Chẩn bệnh chứng minh”, nhưng dùng cho giải phẫu
  32. ^ab"Nam Kinh ｜ tào thu vân – MtF.wiki".MtF.wiki(in Chinese). github /project-trans.2023/07/03 update Cao Qiuyun said that the issuance of a diagnosis certificate requires parental consent at the same time Reach the age of 20 After the observation period (the specific time is not specified, guessed to be 1 year)---2023/07/03 đổi mới tào thu vân tỏ vẻ viết hoá đơn chẩn bệnh chứng minh yêu cầu đồng thời thỏa mãn gia trưởng đồng ý tuổi tác đạt tới 20 một tuổi trải qua quan sát kỳ ( cụ thể thời gian vẫn chưa thuyết minh, suy đoán vì 1 năm )
  33. ^abJun, Pi (9 October 2010). "Transgender in China".Journal of LGBT Youth.7(4): 346–351.doi:10.1080/19361653.2010.512518.S2CID143885704.
  34. ^Sun, Nancy (9 January 2014)."Shanxi Permits Persons to Change Gender Information".All-China Women's Federation. Archived fromthe originalon 29 November 2014.Retrieved17 October2014.
  35. ^De Guzman, Chad (21 March 2023)."A New Drug Law and Old Attitudes Threaten China's Trans Community".Time.Retrieved15 April2023.
  36. ^abLixian, Holly (Nov–Dec 2014). "LGBT Activism in Mainland China".Against the Current.29(5): 19–23.ISSN0739-4853.
  37. ^"LGBT Community in Beijing".Anglo Info.Retrieved6 April2015.
  38. ^Winter, Sam; Conway, Lynn."How many trans* people are there? A 2011 update incorporating new data".Archived fromthe originalon 28 March 2015.Retrieved14 November2014.
  39. ^"China's acceptance of transgender people".BBC News.Retrieved7 April2015.
  40. ^Wenjun, Cai (November 5, 2021)."Nation's first transgender clinic opens in Shanghai".Shanghai Daily.RetrievedNovember 6,2021.
  41. ^"2017 Trung Quốc vượt giới tính quần thể sinh tồn hiện trạng điều tra báo cáo".MBA trí kho.Archived fromthe originalon 2022-04-01.Retrieved2022-02-08.
  42. ^"Vượt giới tính giả giải phẫu sau: Cuối cùng nửa năm rốt cuộc sửa chữa bằng cấp vào nghề tao kỳ thị".Sưu hồ.2019-12-23.Retrieved2022-02-08.
  43. ^Vương nếu hàn (2012-06-20)."Biến tính đám người thể chân thật sinh thái: Duy bằng cấp chứng minh vô pháp sửa chữa giới tính"(Press release) (in Chinese (China)). Sưu hồ. Archived fromthe originalon 2014-08-12.Retrieved2022-02-08.
  44. ^Levine, Jill (8 August 2013)."Is Support for Transgender Rights Increasing in China?".Tea Leaf Nation.Retrieved14 November2014.
  45. ^Kirstin Cronn-Mills,Transgender Lives: Complex Stories, Complex Voices(2018,ISBN1541557506), page 45.
  46. ^"Chinese media embraces trans star, reflecting attitude shift in Beijing".america.aljazeera.Retrieved2022-02-08.
  47. ^Knotts, Joey (9 November 2020)."German, Queer, and Animated: Beijing's Film Festivals This Month".The Beijinger.Archived fromthe originalon November 15, 2020.RetrievedNovember 16,2020.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Transgender_people_in_China&oldid=1230090482"