The Beijing LGBT Center announced its closure today. Founded in 2008, the Center was a vibrant community space & a groundbreaking advocacy organization. Their team spearheaded pioneering research, and built networks of LGBTQ-affirming health & business professionals. 1/5

Due to political sensitivity, LGBTQ-related research is very limited in China. When times were better, the Center was able to work w/ forward-looking scholars to conduct large surveys, which have since been cited in countless media & academic articles. A few examples: 2/5

The Center also focused on developing LGBTQ-affirming health professionals so LGBT ppl could find appropriate care (rather than, for eg, encounter a therapist who would push them to pursue conversion therapy). English-language state media often highlighted the Center's work. 3/5

The Center’s closure is another gut punch for China’s beleaguered LGBTQ movement. Shanghai Pride & LGBT Rights Advocacy China closed in 2021 under pressure from authorities https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/09/china/china-pride-month-lgbt-weibo-intl-mic-hnk/index.html; https://apnews.com/article/technology-china-media-social-media-taiwan-348cab147964f24ccf83907403d4c84a. While not officially closed, many orgs are inactive or...

are struggling to survive. How long they can hold on for (or, rather, be allowed to hold on for) is unclear. For more on the closing of space for LGBTQ expression and advocacy please see: https://outrightinternational.org/our-work/human-rights-research/fading-rainbow-qa-lgbtq-equality-china 5/5