Mothers removed from Shanghai park while trying to find partners for their gay children

A group of 11 mothers carrying rainbow umbrellas who came to a popular Shanghai matchmaking spot in the city’s People’s Park to find partners for their gay children were swiftly removed by local police.

Just an hour after the group had settled in a corner of the matchmaking area of the park, they were told to put away their umbrellas and leave by local police, who said that their matchmaking activities had not been registered in advance, news portal thepaper. cn reported on Monday.

A video posted on Sina Weibo by Rela, a social platform for Chinese lesbians, shows park security staff trying to forcibly seize their umbrellas and force them to leave the park.

The video, which is slickly edited, shows the mothers carrying prepared placards which carried messages such as “seeking a boyfriend for my son” and “Rela supports gay families speaking out.” One placard has the English phrase “Keep calm it’s just love” written on it, and one mother says “my son is gay” to the camera in English.

“If the parents of straight children can search for potential partners for their children, why can’t we?” asked one mother in the group from Shenzhen, South China’s Guangdong Province. “We also have the right to be here. All I want is to find a boyfriend for my son.”

An online poll conducted by the Chengdu Business Daily on the incident shows that around 70 percent of respondents voiced support for the mothers as of press time, agreeing that their actions were brave and wise. About 5 percent stood behind the park staff, saying that such activities should be registered ahead of time to prevent troubles.

However, some of other parents at the matchmaking corner said that they disapproved of the group’s actions.

“Homosexuality should not be seen in public … Their sexual orientation is wrong, and does not agree with traditional Chinese values,” one man was quoted as saying by thepaper. cn.