Living with Ambiguity: The Strategies of Tongzhi’s Negotiation with Their Sexual Identities in Globalizing China

Abstract

Transnational forces in the processes of globalization have determined the identities of the Chinese queer population. This thesis aims to explore how global capitalism, information and communication technology, and international collaboration in dealing with HIV and AIDS have facilitated the spread of western queer discourses and ideologies to China, and how these forces have influenced the construction of Chinese Tongzhi/queer identities. I use the discourse analysis to argue that the western norms of queer “coming out” and “declaring identity” can be an action accompanied by risk in the Chinese social, cultural, and political contexts, given that homosexual desires have challenged the institutions--not just sexuality but also marriage and family-- of heteronormativity. Chinese Tongzhi have to deal with the tension between Chinese traditional norms and western queer culture by negotiating some complex and dynamic strategies for defining their sexual identities. These strategies include “keeping silent about one’s sexual identity, or not coming out” and “having xinghun (contract and fake marriages with opposite-sex individuals.)” as a compromise between their traditional family obligations and homosexual desires in order to be able to live a “tolerable” queer life. I conclude that the strategies of the Chinese Tongzhi illustrate the agency of Chinese queers in creating a feasible space in which to live with their sexual identities and the process of globalized queer culture in a specifically Chinese context.