Linlin ZhuLinlin Zhu grew up in Wenzhou, a city of roughly 3 million people in southeastern China. Since an early crush on an elementary school classmate, she knew she wasn’t straight, but found her high school friends to be completely accepting. ”They are open minded. They just, they don't think it's weird to be gay or to be a lesbian. They just think it's good to have, like, a happy time with the person you like to live with.’ Though the Chinese public is increasingly tolerant towards queer culture, the government has not passed legislation to protect LGBT people from discrimination. The authorities tend to crack down on LGBT events, associating them with Western-aligned ideological positions that represent a potential threat to the government.

Photo Credit: Xue Xia