Abstract

Abstract: This study discusses the challenges of tongqi (wives of gay men) in mainland China, and rethinks homosexual-heterosexual marriage. Over 13.6 million tongqi are victimised in mainland China as a result of the traditional ancestral-oriented family system that coerces homosexual-heterosexual marriage for lineage inheritance. Having suffered from not only being cheated on and emotionally abused, but also having their dignity jeopardised, they are unfortunately publicly neglected. Much worse, they are unwittingly at high risk for HIV/AIDS infection, which stigmatises them and results in health inequity. An existing peer support hub provides them with psychological support through virtual platforms, and strives to increase public awareness of this socially disadvantaged population. However, social, financial and cultural factors impede its development. Apart from an exploration of potential resolutions in this discussion, a debate over homosexual-heterosexual marriage has also been raised. Keywords: gay's wife; gender inequality; health equity; homosexual-heterosexual marriage; social justice; social movement; socially disadvantaged population Tongqi in mainland China This study discusses the challenges of tongqi (wives of gay men) in mainland China, and rethinks homosexual-heterosexual marriage. It firstly analyses the cultural factors and social background which yield the tongqi population and tongqi's afflictions. It then reviewed the objectives and limited resources of the China Wives of Gay Men Mutual Aid Studio, a tongqi's peer support hub, from which it evaluated the role of the government dealing with this social problem. Through investigating these PUBLIC INTEREST STATEMENT This study examines the challenges of tongqi (wives of gay men) in mainland China, and reviews homosexual-heterosexual marriage. The root cause of tongqi is strongly associated with the traditional ancestral-oriented family system. Tongqi are suffering from not only emotional abuse, but also a high risk for HIV/AIDS infection; however, they are neglected and marginalised. Such threats urge policy-makers to pay particular attention to social and public health policies. Although virtual support is supplied through Internet, the development of psychological and legal assistance is tardy induced by financial, political, and social barriers. This study emphasises the importance of consent in marriage and sincerity in conjugation. issues, it looked into homosexual-heterosexual marriage, and emphasised the significance of consent in marriage and sincerity in conjugation. Two films, spanning 22 years-The Wedding Banquet (Lee, 1993) and Baby Steps (Cheng, 2015)-explicitly spell out the gay men's predicament inherent in Chinese culture, presenting an ingrained family concept in conjunction with the idea of clan. Although the Taiwanese mother in the more recent film accepts her gay son to a limited extent, whereas in the former she was reluctant, their desire to have grandchildren remains the same. Such a "Brokeback Mountain" problem Recent research estimates that this challenge involves over 33 million homosexuals in China Parental pressure coerces Chinese gay men to marry in order to continue their family line (The Economist, 2012); particularly since the one-child policy was enforced, but the policy has been ended in 2016 Most gay men marry straight women while maintaining bonds with their boyfriends Shocked by discovering their husbands' homosexual orientation, tongqi are resentful, due to a strong feeling of being cheated and betrayed Much worse, tongqi have been categorised as a highly HIV/AIDS-infected community in China China Wives of Gay Men Mutual Aid Studio: Peer support service Ridiculously, these victimised tongqi are stigmatised Xiao Delan, the founder of the studio, is an ex-tongqi. She was completely unaware of homosexuality and was not aware of her ex-husband's sexual orientation. Her ex-husband finally confessed his sexual orientation to her two months after their marriage, which suddenly changed her life. Her marriage lasted only half a year, as initiated by her ex-husband, which annoys her parents because they do not know the reason of her divorce. This sorrowful experience has led her to serve other tongqi since late 2012, and to create a peer support hub in March 2013. The primary objectives of the studio are designated as reducing the number of tongqi, and protecting tongqi's rights. In spite of an anticipated decrease in the number of tongqi, as a benefit of the crawling improvements in societal openness and gender equality , Xiao Delan affirms that a substantial number of tongqi will remain in the near future, encouraging her to unmask this unprivileged group to the public. Moreover, due to her experience in divorcing without compensation, as with 36.4% of surveyed ex-tongqi , she is on a quest to re-examine the legal rights of tongqi in terms of not only financial indemnity, but also of averting the risks of being subjected to potential HIV/AIDS transmission In fulfilling these objectives, the studio makes an effort to increase public awareness of homosexuality. It assists in activities related to the anti-discrimination of homosexuality, in order to cultivate inclusiveness and equality towards homosexuals. It then proposes licit same-sex marriage as a way to avoid homosexual-heterosexual marriage. Despite its contribution to education regarding homosexuality, the studio is unlikely to be able to tackle the ancestral-centred marriage tradition that is deeply engrained into Chinese family structure. These efforts will be unable to uproot the social problems facing tongqi. Having started virtual platforms on Chinese social media in 2012, such as on a Sina blog, a QQ forum, Weibo and WeChat, the studio has engaged a certain number of tongqi. This rarely involves offline contact or social gatherings with the virtual participants, but offers an anonymous method for them to share their stories and vent their emotional discontent, indicating their fear of being discriminated against, which forces them to hide in the closet with their homosexual husbands. In addition, Xiao Delan began a marriage-seeking campaign series on the streets of Quan Zhou, Fujian, in the evening of the Double-Seventh Festival, in early August 2014. This Chinese festival, set for every 7 July (on the Chinese lunar calendar), is in memory of a fairy story, and symbolises unchanging true love. She wore a wedding gown, and carried a cardboard advertising that she was seeking marriage, representing tongqi's rights to pursue happiness, and exposing this disregarded community to the pedestrians along the street. This movement has drawn significant media attention, for which she is always invited for interviews, thus delineating the afflictions of tongqi. However, it has inevitably been censured by conservative seniors who blame her for the assault against social harmony. participation has enriched her vision of social movement by exchanging her experience with those of overseas social activists. The rainbow umbrellas she used denote the ambivalent link between gay men and tongqi: a pair made up of antagonists and suffering consorts within the Chinese connubial culture. Xiao Delan is concurrently active in gay communities, and frequently goes to gay bars to distribute condoms and HIV/AIDS educational pamphlets. Being an ex-tonqi, she can build a favourable relationship with gay men, talking with them about how tongqi are harmed physically and psychologically, and persuading them not to get involved in homosexual-heterosexual marriages. She asserts that a reduction in gay men's expectations of marriage will effectively lessen the number of tongqi. The studio has attempted to hold creative events in order to serve tongqi and alleviate their adversities; nevertheless, these efforts have likely been confined by limited resources. First, irregular funds hinder its expansion into activities, as provided by one lone worker, who relies on part-time jobs to support her living. Insufficient pecuniary assistance probably withholds wider exposure for its community services. Second, a lack of professional advice impedes the development of its tongqidirected services and propaganda campaigns. This weakens the achievements of Chinese pressure groups. Since social movement is too green in mainland China, most domestic non-government organisations are unfamiliar with strategies and tactics for organised community services and civic movements. Equally as prominent, the obscure governmental attitudes and policies towards social movement hold an unpredictable hazard for the growth of the studio. Tighter controls and censorship have been imposed on civic movements through legislation, in order to restrict financial and non-financial aegis from local and non-local non-profit organisations, which beats down the endurance and attainment of social activists. Rethinking homosexual-heterosexual marriage The interactive relationships between gay men and tongqi are synchronously both antithetical and coexistent. The tongqi community is derived from gay men's self-concerned decision to get involved in homosexual-heterosexual marriage without prior notification to their wives. This dynamic, on the one hand, causes mutual resistance. Most tongqi complain their homosexual husbands, and married gay men hurt their wives' happiness to conceal their sexual orientation which conflicts with social