Chasing the pink yuan
Chinese businesses wake up to the world’s biggest gay economy but government unmoved. By Michael Taylor in Kuala Lumpur
The growing popularity of gayfriendly advertisements in China — online but not in mainstream media — shows business is waking up to the “pink yuan” and more liberal attitudes among young people, but the government remains unmoved.
China’s gay economy is worth between US$300 billion and $500 billion annually, reaching some 70 million people, according to Daxue Consulting, a market research firm — making it the biggest gay and transgender market in the world in terms of population.
“Young Chinese people do appear to be opening up and accepting LGBT+ culture,” Allison Malmsten, China analyst at the Shanghai-based company, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
“The LGBT+ market in China has a lot of untapped potential.”
Homosexuality has been legal in China since 1997 and the country’s largest organisation for psychiatrists stopped classifying it as a mental disorder in 2001.
But same-sex marriage is not recognised and most LGBT+ people fear coming out to their families because of stigma.
An online advertisement showing a man bringing his partner home to celebrate the Lunar New Year with his family went viral across China last month, sparking positive responses among the LGBT+ community for helping break taboos.
The video by the e-commerce leader Alibaba Group is part of a growing trend, largely led by technology firms targeting millennials aged 23 to 38 and gay and trans consumers, said industry and LGBT+ analysts.
“Many of these companies have young consumers and showing inclusivity simply makes an ad memorable,” said Malmsten.
“Look at the buzz created from the Alibaba advert — netizens and media spreading the advertisement all over, and at no extra cost for the company.”
The internet search giant Baidu, the e-commerce company Dangdang and the ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing
have also promoted LGBT-friendly advertisements in recent years.
The government often censors news, television shows and films that touch on LGBT+ issues in the name of “family values” while media companies self-censor, gay rights activists say.
China scrubbed at least 10 scenes with gay references from the Oscar-winning movie Bohemian Rhapsody about British musician Freddie Mercury.
“If we want to achieve a friendly and inclusive social environment, we need much more LGBTQ images on TV and in newspapers for (help) changing the law and social norms,” said Yang Yi of the China Rainbow Media Awards.
“LGBTQ+ issues are becoming more and more invisible,” said Yi, whose organisation works to improve gay and trans coverage.
But companies looking to carve out a slice of the pink economy must tread carefully. Subtlety is key.
Hong Kong’s subway and airport operators initially rejected this Cathay Pacific ad last year before reversing course in response to a public outcry.
“These ads, for the most part, do not outright voice support for samesex couples, but rather include them as an element in advertisements being accepted by others,” said Malmsten.
A Cathay Pacific Airways advert that showed a same-sex couple holding hands on a beach was banned in government-run airport and metro stations
last year in Hong Kong. The ban was later reversed after an online backlash by activists.
Social media is harder to police, leading to a trickle of gay-friendly online adverts that target a specific audience.
China banned online content showing “abnormal” behaviours — including homosexuality — in 2017 in a bid to promote “socialist values” and to assert Communist Party control over online discussions in the traditionally Confucian society.
But when Weibo — the local equivalent of Twitter — banned gay content in 2018, it was forced to reverse its decision within days after an outcry that featured hashtags, open letters and even calls for people to dump shares in the company.
In a sign of changing attitudes, the National People’s Congress last year said that introducing same-sex marriage was one of the most popular requests made by people.
While no new legislation was outlined, the statement raised hopes of reform in a year when Taiwan became the first place in Asia to allow samesex marriage.
Popo Fan, a Chinese filmmaker and LGBT+ activist based in Berlin, said the impact of pro-gay online content was limited in China as it often only reached young, well-educated, affluent and tech-savvy people.
“Those advertisements are only targeting people who can buy or use the internet and smartphones,” he said.
“A lot of people don’t have this access and they have no opportunity to get any (LGBT+) information.”
While pro-gay adverts can help to challenge taboos, China is far from accepting or legalising samesex relationships, said Suki Chung, an LGBT+ rights campaigner at Amnesty International.
And many companies are simply riding the “pride bandwagon” without having genuinely inclusive policies toward sexual and gender minorities, she said from Hong Kong.
“LGBTI marketing ads will become a growing trend in the Greater China region, given the lucrative pink dollars and the look-good image of being a ‘social change maker’ or pioneer,” she said.
“Real change is still far away given that the Chinese government still imposes tight controls … but the power of online netizens and LGBTI communities in fighting back against the government propaganda is strong.”
“If we want to achieve a friendly and inclusive social environment, we need much more LGBTQ images on TV and in newspapers for (help) changing the law and social norms” YANG YI
China Rainbow Media Awards