China’s LGBTQ+ community celebrates rare scenes from Paris Olympics.

Iconic Scenes Broadcast Live

During the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics, images of two men kissing on a Parisian bridge and a trio embracing passionately in a room before the door shuts were broadcast worldwide. These scenes were particularly significant in China, where they were shown live on the state broadcaster CCTV, bypassing the usual censorship of same-sex relationships.

Unusual Celebration Amidst Crackdowns

In China, these rare moments have become a point of celebration for the LGBTQ+ community. Under the leadership of Xi Jinping, China has intensified its crackdown on LGBTQ+ activism, dissolving support groups, canceling pride parades, and banning media featuring same-sex themes. Thus, the broadcast of these scenes from the Olympics was unexpected and remarkable.

Social Media Reactions

On Weibo, the hashtag “#Paris opening ceremony is really cool#” gained over 600 million views in just four days. Ken Huang, a 26-year-old gay man from Beijing, described the experience as “an unrealistic dream.” Many other viewers expressed similar astonishment and joy at witnessing such scenes on Chinese television.

Diverse Reactions and Controversy

While the ceremony’s celebration of diversity and inclusion sparked controversy and backlash in various parts of the world, in China, it also drew mixed reactions. Some praised the French for their progressiveness, while others criticized the inclusion of LGBTQ+ elements, arguing that the Olympics should focus solely on sportsmanship.

Expert Insights

Suen Yiu-tung, an associate professor of gender studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, noted that the enthusiasm in China might stem from the novelty of seeing such direct representations of LGBTQ+ elements on TV. He also mentioned that some in China yearn for the same level of progressiveness seen elsewhere.

Impact on Social Movements

Despite incremental changes driven by health campaigns, the space for civil society in China has shrunk drastically in the past decade. Shanghai Pride was abruptly canceled in 2020, and in 2021, WeChat shut down dozens of LGBTQ+ accounts run by university students. These actions are part of a broader campaign to suppress expressions of diverse genders and sexualities, which are often portrayed as “foreign” by Beijing.

Unexpected Broadcast and Censorship Issues

The broadcast of the LGBTQ+ scenes put CCTV in an awkward position, as it managed to bypass China’s rigorous censorship. This led to the creation of the hashtag “#CCTV’s narrators have gone silent#” after commentators abruptly stopped providing live analysis during the LGBTQ+ scenes. The broadcast was described by some as the most boundary-pushing live event ever aired by CCTV.

In summary, the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics has provided a rare and significant moment of visibility and celebration for China’s LGBTQ+ community, highlighting the ongoing struggle for acceptance and the complex dynamics of censorship and social progress in the country.