Tongzhi by Edmond J Coleman Wah-Shan Chou

Author:Edmond J Coleman, Wah-Shan Chou [Edmond J Coleman, Wah-Shan Chou]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Social Science, LGBTQ+ Studies, Gay Studies, Sociology, General, Gender Studies, Ethnic Studies, Political Science, Public Policy, Social Policy
ISBN: 9781136568510
Google: _mLUs9DSLacC
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2013-09-05T05:49:59+00:00

GLAD is another event that actively explores the nonconfrontational strategy of going beyond the homo-hetero duality. The annual GLAD (Gay and Lesbian Awakening Day) event first started on June 1, 1995, organized by Gay Chat Lambda, and other university tongzhi groups. It is similar to a cultural carnival, including activities such as movies, a fun fair. seminars, an auction, a drag performance, and candlelight sharing. It manipulates popular minors about the homoeroticism of the famous ancient scholar and politician Qu Yuan by selecting his memorial day, Duanwu Jie (Dragon Boat Festival), as the Chinese day celebrating same-sex love. Qu Yuan wrote several affectionate and tender poems to his emperor, comparing himself to beauties and fragrant plants. He finally drowned himself in the Miluo River more than 2000 years ago. Although the mainstream textbooks have desexualized their relationship and insisted on a patriotic reading of Qu Yuan's act, his homoeroticism has been established by recent scholars (Wen, 1944:245–258). What is more important is the endeavor to indigenize Taiwanese tongzhi discourse by creating their own “cultural symbol” and pride day. June I is chosen because it is the Dragon Boat Festival and a public holiday to memorize Qu Yuan. While the celebration of the Stonewall Riots is also in June, Taiwanese tongzhi decided to select a Chinese person, also commemorated in June, to act as a local tongzhi pride day. Besides, the traditional food for dris festival is a rice dumpling tied in a triangle shape, which can symbolize both S/M and the pink triangle. GLAD in 1995 was a big fun lair in which more than 1,000 people participated. In 1996, 1997, and 1998, GLAD continued to become a glamorous carnival on campus that is open to everyone.

GLAD is highly successful not only in terms of rallying tongzhi and social participation in the celebration of tongzhi visibility and power; more important, GLAD critically explores indigenous possibilities of tongzhi resistance. As was well stated by Chi Ta-wei, an organizer of the GLAD event and a key advocate of kuser politics in Taiwan. GLAD is a conscious negotiation and integration of two di different approaches—human rights and cultural carnival eroticism:

we have seriously pondered the Chinese and English name of this event. Should we add “human rights” or “festival” into the title? … we want both … we can strategically choose to come out as a community. rather than any single individual. (Chi, 1995:23, 271)

Chi also responds to the criticism that there is no subjectivity in GLAD, as people do not see individual homosexuals as such. Chi said, “it is a collective coming out…. It is homoeroticism that flows to everywhere to everyone. you can feel it and enjoy it if you are open enough” (p. 271).

GLAD and Rainbow Valentine Week have been seen by many tongzhi as the two most successful examples of media activism in the 1990s. Their success lies not only in rallying massive social support from both tongzhi and mainstream society, nor simply in the fact that alter these two

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