China LGBT rights group shuts down amid hostile environment
TAIPEI, TAIWAN » An influential LGBT advocacy group in China that has spearheaded many of the legal cases pushing for greater rights is halting its work amid growing restrictions on social activism.
LGBT Rights Advocacy China announced it was ceasing all activities and shutting down its social media accounts in an announcement on social media Thursday.
“We are deeply regretful to tell everyone, Queer Advocacy Online will stop all of our work indefinitely,” the group said on WeChat, using the name of its social media account. It closed its accounts on WeChat and Weibo, two widely used platforms in China.
A member confirmed that all the group’s activities have been shut down. The member, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of safety concerns, declined to say why. Group founder Peng Yanzi did not respond to a request for comment.
LGBT Rights Advocacy China did work across the country, pushing for the rights of gay people and raising awareness about the community. It advocated for same- sex marriage and fought workplace discrimination by helping individuals sue their former employers.
While there are many other groups focused on helping LGBT individuals, LGBT Rights Advocacy is one of a handful who focused on changing law and policy.
The Ministry of Civil Affairs announced Friday that they have dealt with 3,300 illegal social organizations, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. The ministry also shut down some 200 illegal websites and individual social media accounts that were not registered with any government entity.
It is unclear if the group was shut down as part of the government campaign. The ministry did not immediately respond to a faxed request for comment.
The group mentioned they were in trouble a few months ago, said a 30-yearold LGBT activist who knows the group’s founders and who spoke on condition of anonymity. Lawyers who helped the group with cases had also stopped their work then.
LGBT Rights Advocacy China was co-founded by Peng and another activist named AQiang in 2013, and focused their efforts on securing legal rights for LGBT individuals through strategic lawsuits.
One of their most high profile cases came early on in 2014, when Peng himself went undercover to a facility that claimed it could “treat” homosexuality with electroshock therapy. He sued the company and won.
The group often brought landmark cases to the court, challenging the law to make space for non-traditional families, and often helped start public discussions on those issues.