The year in queer: China's biggest LGBT news stories of 2016

From potty politics to pageantry, 2016 saw its fair share of LGBT stories that got tongues wagging. Here's our round-up of the good, the bad and the ugly.

We've come a long way, baby

In January, the UNDP released its inaugural Being LGBT in Asia: China Country Report, which offered hard data to back up what hearsay has long suggested: China’s queer community is increasingly visible, with 63 percent of respondents describing themselves as ‘somewhat out’ to friends and family.

While other data was less than cheery – 48 percent of gay and bi women and 33 percent of gay and bi men surveyed reported being victims of domestic violence and more than 50 percent reported experiencing symptoms of depression – the stats showed that mainstream acceptance of gays and lesbians, reported at 33 percent in major cities, is on the rise.

But not when it comes to gender equality

In March, five women’s rights activists, including LGBTI rights campaigner Wei Tingting, were detained on unspecified charges. While the five were conditionally released over a month later, international outrage at their treatment did little to move officials enervated by their participation in stunts designed to raise awareness of domestic violence.

Becoming part of a global queer community

The horrific mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida on June 12 saw candlelit vigils at LGBT venues across the city. A powerful message of unity and support for those lost showed that queer Chinese are developing a sense of something bigger – a worldwide movement towards equal treatment and recognition that is only growing in scale as tragedies like Orlando draw attention to the harm that bigotry and homophobia have caused.

Beijing bogs are going gender-neutral

The capital’s public lavatories won’t win any cleanliness awards, despite calls from the head of China’s National Tourism Administration for the nation’s janitors to clean up their act. A campaign launched in June by the Beijing Gender Health Institute, however, in partnership with the UNDP, offered local businesses the chance to opt in to a unisex toilet scheme which has seen a distinctively inclusive sign appear on participating conveniences across the city. The scheme was lauded in state media as reducing pressure on women, lone parents with children, and trans people, all of whom frequently struggle to find safe relief on the city’s congested streets.

Pageant queens are back in fashion

After its earlier incarnation was busted by the cops in 2010, many felt that, like Pride parades, gay beauty pageants were just one of those nice things that the Government just wasn’t going to let us have. But when shredded, coiffed and powdered hottie Meng Fanyu, 27, strutted to victory in Shanghai’s Mr Gay China, declaring the somewhat raucous contest ‘a great platform to raise awareness of the LGBT community’, a new era dawned. By adopting a message focusing on health education (even going so far as to offer free HIV testing to the entire audience), the pageant’s organisers kept the censors at bay, and staged quite the show.

What made history?

April 11 A labour tribunal in Guizhou rules Ciming Checkup didn’t act illegally firing trans male employee ‘Mr C’ for failing to conform to the company dress code.

April 14 A court in Changsha issues a landmark ruling that same-sex couple Sun Wenlin and Hu Mingliang cannot legally marry. Both vow to appeal.

July 2-6  The Beijing Queer Chorus become the first Asian choir to participate at the LGBT Gala Choruses Festival in Denver, Colorado.

August 25 Founder of UK’s Pink Therapy Dominic Davies delivers first address at the China National Psychology Conference on LGBT mental health.

September 12 Student Qiu Bai sues the Ministry of Education over school textbooks that describe homosexuality as a ‘mental disorder’.