A 60-year-old transgender man who visited shared how he immigrated to the U.S. in the 1970s for crucial gender-affirming care. There was also a mother looking to connect with her gay adult son. <\/p>\n
\u201cShe later emailed me saying that she\u2019s so grateful for all the events the art museum has organized,” Chen said. \u201cHer son came out to her, and she\u2019s very proud of her son and she wants to express gratitude.\u201d<\/p>\n
These reactions are proof the museum is elevating the visibility of Chinese, Chinese American and Asian American LGBTQ+ people, said author and activist Helen Zia, a museum advisory board member. It also shows how attitudes have shifted, she said, as it would have been difficult to mount even 20 years ago,.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were Asian churches who would have demonstrations week after week with thousands of people just condemning same-sex couples,\u201d Zia said, recalling the response from the Chinese community in 2008 when she handed out pro-gay marriage flyers in Oakland’s Chinatown. \u201cWe got people yelling at us, spitting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Later that year, Zia and her wife were among many couples who wed after the California Supreme Court rejected a same-sex marriage ban. Even today, she says the museum’s presence sends a needed message.<\/p>\n
\u201cSee our humanity,\u201d Zia said. \u201cHere’s the beautiful art that we create and imagine and contribute to the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
LGBTQ+ life in mainland China\n <\/p>\n
Being homosexual in China means living under the radar and discriminatory policies. In 2001, the Chinese Psychiatric Association stopped listing homosexuality as a mental disorder But LGBTQ+ couples still cannot marry or adopt. They are also limited in their right to publicly advocate. When Chen lived in Shanghai, she ran a grassroots center for lesbians. One of the reasons she left was because during the pandemic the government started cracking down on spaces for LGBTQ+ activism. <\/p>\n
She likely could not even put on an art show, let alone a museum. <\/p>\n
\u201cFrom 2013 to 2015, that kind of art exhibition by queer artists (could) exist, but only if you don\u2019t explicitly show or tell the audience that your work or yourself identify as queer or LGBTQ,\u201d Chen said. \u201cBut not nowadays.\u201d<\/p>\n
That Shanghai center is how Zia met Chen a decade ago. Zia was doing research for a book and toured the center.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe’s been just incredibly brave in China, creating a center that attracted a lot of state attention,” Zia said. <\/p>\n
A key difference Chen has noticed among American-born Chinese LGBTQ+ people versus those in China is they are more educated about gender and sexual identity and have more access to support. <\/p>\n
Under the second Trump administration, LGBTQ+ rights are increasingly under threat. President Donald Trump’s administration has targeted gender-affirming care and sought to ban transgender people in the military. Some anti-Pride lawmakers recently proposed \u201cNuclear Family Month.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n Nevertheless, the Chinese artists say the social landscape here is a breath of fresh air. <\/p>\n \u201cHere in San Francisco, in California, we enjoy the air of freedom, there is equal human rights, there is security,\u201d Ngai said. “So, we are very proud to be ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n This Sunday, Chen will proudly walk in her first San Francisco Pride Parade. She will plug the museum while dressed fittingly as a woman warrior from a Cantonese opera. <\/p>\n \u201cI think completing this opening will be a start for me. It\u2019s not the end,\u201d Chen said. \u201cWe still have a long way to go.\u201d<\/p>\n Tang reported from Phoenix.<\/p>\n
![\"TOPSHOT](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1782284297_359_june-23-pyss-v04.jpg\")
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