Gay Chinese student publicly confesses love for friend on campus
A gay student from China has surprised his friend with a public declaration of his love on their university campus.
The pair of friends-turned-boyfriends, both students at Beijing Renmin University’s ceremony involved the boys standing in the middle of a heart-shaped ring of lights, with the confession being made in front of fellow students.
It was in front of the crowd that the student declared: “I will be with you, not to play basketball, but to kiss you,” according to What’s On Weibo.
Photos of the romantic setup went viral on the Chinese equivalent to Twitter, Weibo and elicited a mixed reaction in a country where views on homosexuality still vary hugely.
Some of the negative comments translate to: ‘Talking about discriminating gay people… won’t mankind perish if everyone’s gay? In my opinion, gay people should go and see a psychiatrist,” whilst another says “They are a disgrace to the university and when their parents see this, they’ll faint.”
However, some Weibo users did share their support for the students.
“Love goes beyond gender, bless you!,” one posted.
Another user says: “I wonder how Renmin University will respond to this. If these students get expelled, I would really lose hope in Chinese universities.”
Public attitudes in China vary hugely towards homosexuality, which was only removed from the state’s official list of mental disorders in 2001.
While still a taboo subject across much of the mainland, younger generations are shown to be increasingly accepting, while the introduction of same-sex marriage in the United States last year and several very public declarations of gay love have sparked renewed conversations about the legal standing of China’s LGBT community.
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