Opening up: articulating a same sex identity in Beijing

Abstract

This paper aims to give a glimpse of the findings that I obtained from my field research into the articulation of a same-sex identity in Beijing, between March and June 2004. It is important to stress that these findings are not identified to represent the social reality of the gay men and lesbians living in Beijing. Thus, these findings are necessarily selective and merely illustrate dominant trends and themes that are suggested by this fieldwork and other research. They focus on •How cosmopolitan gay/lesbian individuals in Beijing reconcile with their sense of identity • how they engage with others of different backgrounds, and • their voices, silences, and spaces.