The LGBT+ community exists in all countries in the world and is an ever-present and growing community in China. This paper will investigate the current status of the LGBT+ community in China and the development of the LGBT+ community in East Asia. This paper will also examine the connection between the LGBT+ community and fashion in China. I will investigate the present status of LGBT+ and the growing acceptance and awareness that is paving the way for the integration of LGBT+ designers, models, and trends into Chinese fashion.
I will also research and analyze the growing acceptance and changing of public opinion of the LGBT+ community in Shanghai. I will also research and discuss the discrimination against the LGBT+ community and the challenges that are still faced because of tradition, culture, and duty, and an overall lack of acceptance and understanding among the general population (Qin You Hui 2016).
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In the social construct of societies in East Asia, the definition of love between men and women. This definition is the prerequisite for marriage, which almost always has to have the approval of family and extended family. Attitudes toward the LGBT+ community seem to be mostly generational, and those born after the year 1990 are now more accepting than previous generations.
An entire new generation has been exposed to new cultures and values, thus people are growing increasingly aware of different cultural values that will inevitably impact the values they have learned from their own culture.
Throughout the history of China, homosexuality has existed since ancient times, but it has always been a non-mainstream sexual orientation. Homosexuality has always been regarded as a mental disorder in China. Only in the past 6 years has homosexuality been no longer classified as a psychological disorder. This is a huge sign that China has begun to tolerate the gay community because same-sex relationships have long been a taboo societal topic.
From a legal perspective, homosexuality is no longer illegal in most East Asian countries, and China was the first country in the region to ban conversion therapy. Conversion therapy was banned by a Beijing district court in 2014. (Fig 1-2) However, discrimination is still very common in East Asia, including rampant employment discrimination and housing discrimination. The same protections from workplace and other forms of discrimination for homosexuals are not provided in East Asian countries as they are in Western countries. But there was good news this year, as Taipei recently became the first city in East Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. (Fig 3-4)
The Fashion industry today is one of the most gay-tolerant industries in the world. LGBT+ fashion designers and transgender models (21st Century Models 2017) are recognized for their strength and are not discriminated against because of their sexual orientation.
This topic is something I am passionate about. The current trends of the LGBT+ community are a big influence on my design inspiration. My design concepts display the process of a person who is coming out of the closet. Through my design, I want to encourage young Asian homosexuals to be proud of who they are and accept themselves.
To get more information, I read articles online from Baidu and Bing, including news sites, personal/expert creation sites, and LGBT+ community sites. From the literature search, I got information from books about homosexuality as well as the current laws relating to homosexuality. All data collection meets the major premise of the study time interval. Finally, I will expound my views on this topic through my personal experience.
For my research, most studies are open-reading articles and do not require informed consent. All citations indicate their place of origin. The participants of my questionnaire mainly come from people of different ages, occupations, and incomes in China. This data is objective and without any personal feelings.
During the study process, I made fact-based data analysis on the information that I obtained. The study is independent, and impartial, and does not involve any personal feelings or other influences.
LGBT+ awareness in China and the importance of LGBT+ Awareness.
LGBT+ awareness is the first step toward acceptance of the LGBT+ community. Even though East Asia it is slowly accepting, China still has a long way to go. The LGBT+ community is integrated into fashion and social media in China and goes unrecognized by most (Suen, 2019). More and more local designers are integrating their sexuality into their collections and Chinese millennials are beginning to accept this new trend. Nationwide attention was sparked in August 2019 when a notary’s office in Beijing approved the capitol’s first same-sex guardianship agreement (The Economist 2019). Nearly as significant was the neutral, even supportive coverage in state-owned media, and posts about mutual same-sex guardianship in Beijing have earned over 100m views on Weibo (The Economist 2019). This monumental step forward in LGBT+ rights and awareness would have been unheard of even 10 years ago.
Why people need to understand this community and how awareness can be brought
For the general public, the values that should be promoted are the correct way to treat LGBT+ individuals. The general society should know and understand this group and should not isolate or discriminate against LGBT+ persons from heterosexual society.
Tolerance of homosexuality is also a sign of progress in China. With many brands designing products for LGBT Pride Month, citizens are becoming more aware of the LGBT+ community. Shanghai, China has the highest average monthly salary in China. Individuals are more exposed to mainstream luxury brands' trends and ideas of the latest fashions. As a result of these higher incomes, fashion consumers will be more exposed to the latest fashion trends that are mainly propelled by LGBT+ designers and models. By being exposed to this, a discussion can be started to promote positivity and acceptance of the LGBT+ community. Fashion helps bring awareness and awareness helps bring acceptance, the two work hand in hand together.
Fashion is the number one cause of awareness.
The integration of rainbow elements, which is a central symbol of the LGBT+ community, into advertising and product design, the inclusion and support of the LGBT+ community has become more and more prevalent (新浪时尚Sina fashion 2016). In China, major fashion labels are free to use this very important symbol of the LGBT+ community and are no longer censored as they were in the past.
As a result, major commercial brands have joined to support and release products of a rainbow series to express their support for the LGBT+ community. (Fig 5-6). One of the most recognizable brands in the world, Nike, has been at the forefront of the inclusivity of LGBT+ rights. As early as 2012, Nike established up Nike LGBT&Friends group to show its support for gay rights and expressed its position succinctly with the slogan of rainbow color #BETRUE. (Fig 7). The very fact this shoe is available in China demonstrates that although the LGBT+ community still has major hurdles to overcome, this rainbow show by Nike not being censored shows the tremendous progress already made.
Fashion can promote awareness of the LGBT+ community
To advertise a positive message, strategic marketing was chosen as an element for certain designs. As a result, fashion consumers will begin to have a more heightened awareness of the LGBT+ community.
Because of the inclusive nature of the fashion industry as a whole, awareness of the LGBT+ community can be further promoted to the general consumer base. Because of the rapid development of media, people can often get in touch with fashion in various ways and intake the latest styles, trends, designers, and models at a lightning quick speed. Weibo, WeChat, Zhihu, and other social and entertainment websites and media are a few examples of how Chinese consumers consume fashion media. Because of censorship in the mainstream media, promotion of the LGBT+ community has to be done on a grassroots level. Like Nike promoting their rainbow shoe. Also, gender lines are being blurred between male and female, further promoting LGTB+ values of inclusion. In China, well-known celebrities are known for their “gender neutral” public personae, says Dr. Tommy Tse, assistant professor in media and culture at The University of Hong Kong’s Department of Sociology (Suen 2019). Tse concludes that such celebrities “construct their gender-fluid androgynous image to appeal to the LGBT community and fans” — the fact that this has gone mainstream signals a shift in social norms not ever seen in China (Suen 2019). Celebrities are always at the forefront of great leaps in social movements. The fact that everyday Chinese fashion consumers see gender and identity fluidity, a central component of the LGBT+ community, among celebrities represents a tectonic shift toward inclusion and acceptance of everyday fashion consumers.
At the same time, many fashion brands have started to design products for LGBT Pride Month to promote awareness of the LGBT+ community. Some Chinese designers who have yet to come out of the closet design their clothes to feel respected and more desired. This is letting everyday members of the LGBTQ+ community know that they too can express themselves through fashion and helping to change the negative connotations of homosexuality.
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