China: Popular Actress Sparks Homosexuality Debate · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Homosexuality is not a crime in China and in the past few years the gay community has become more visible in the Chinese online world. Last week, an overseas Chinese pastor's reaction to the legalization of same-sex marriage by the New York State Senate, was echoed by an award-winning actress Lu Liping [zh]. Their words have triggered a heated debate on Chinese social media site, Sina Weibo.
On June 26, 2011 Pastor Feng Wei from Rochester, New York  commented [zh] on Sina Weibo:
纽约州议会昨晚通过了同性恋婚姻合法化提案。这是美国第六个通过类似法案的州，也是最大的一个州。求神怜悯这片日益堕落的土地！即使有一天若这里法律规定反对同性恋会被判刑，我也仍然要传讲：同性恋是罪。神爱罪人，但神恨恶罪！信靠耶稣，胜过罪恶，出死入生。
Lu Liping thanking God during her Best Actress speech at the Golden Horse Award in Taipei
As a post on Shanghaiist on June 27 explains, Pastor Feng's post would have little effect in Weibo without actress Lu Liping's call [zh] for her 150,000 followers to support and retweet the post.
Gay activists have now called for a boycott of Lu's movies, and a number of actors and film makers have criticized Lu's homophobic comment publicly in Sina Weibo, for example Taiwanese actor, Cai Kangyong [zh] who says:
唉,台湾报纸也开始报导吕丽萍用微博鼓吹仇视同性恋的事了。吕小姐,你仇视的同性恋,并不是受伤不会痛的抽象名词,而是有血有肉的人呀!你此生合作过的剧组,提携过你的媒体,看你戏给你奖的支持者,其中多少同志對你善意成全?不管信什麽教,光从做人最根本的道理来说,鼓吹仇视这许多成全过你的人,可以吗？
Outside of the entertainment industry circle, a number of public opinion leaders in Weibo have also joined the discussion. Prominent blogger Lian Yue says [zh]:
吕丽萍用圣经攻击同性恋，很多人以其人之身还治其人，引了马太福音这段送给有多次婚姻史的她：“凡休妻的，若不是为淫乱的缘故，就是叫她作淫妇了；人若娶这被休的妇人，也是犯奸淫了。”若死抠圣经字眼，很容易整死他人，有人信基督，对他人行爱与包容，容易让人尊重，若以为有了惩罚权，就可憎了。
Fiction writer Mai Luoluo points out [zh]:
包容别人，等于同时完善自己。这是上帝赋予我们人性深处，最根本的正见。我不认为同性恋爱有何不正常。米开朗琪罗与自己的同性倾向战斗了一生，最后却是同性恋爱成就了艺术辉煌。他所绘的男性裸体很美很美。
Buddhist Monk Shi Zhensheng joins [zh] in the discussion:
佛教不會譴責同性戀是錯的，有罪的，佛教包容同性戀，但也不意味著鼓吹同性戀，只要不標榜，不排擠。佛教教導每一個人都要放下情執，“愛不重，不生娑婆”，這道理對同性、異性戀者而言，都是毫無分別的。佛陀對所有衆生都一視同仁，也知道所人有的煩惱同一出源。他們不一样，但沒有不同，阿彌陀佛！
Nevertheless, homophobic speech is quite common in the Chinese online world, and this debate has triggered quite a number of hateful comments. For example, “1284089530” says [zh]:
现在，同性恋变成了一种时髦，他们大力宣扬同性恋光荣，结果造成了社会上不少青少年纷纷模仿，这样对青少年的成长极为不利，是一种毒害。这样长久下去，男儿将不再阳刚，女性将不再柔美！我的一个小侄子，就被一个同性恋引诱成了同志，强制送到医院发现根本不是！
Guangzhou Lawyer Ou Zhengbiao opposes [zh] the legalization of homosexuality:
必须旗帜鲜明的反对同性恋合法化！国之将亡、必有妖孽！正因为同性恋有违阴阳平衡的自然规律，有侼人伦道德，因此并不仅仅是社会问题，而且还关系着人类繁衍大事，用某知名网友的话来讲，简直就是反人类的罪行！综上所述，假如同性恋合法化，将标志着人类走向灭亡这个“伟大进程”的正式开始，要不得啊
Nevertheless, several polls show that the majority of netizens accept and supports the choice of homosexual couples. According to a poll from ifeng.com [zh], about 70% of netizens respect the choices of a homosexual minority and about 60% support the legalization of homosexual marriage. The result of this poll is consistent with another Weibo poll in which more than 70% supported the choice of homosexual love and around 15% remain neutral. However, the poll has been deleted today by the Weibo administrator.
Another Weibo poll [zh] (right) with the rather odd phrasing asking, “Would you support your siblings and close friends in becoming homosexual?” has the following result: 20% absolutely oppose; 33% neutral and 46% support.