LGBTQ+ Communities in Shanghai

🌈 As an all-female company embracing cultural diversity, we are always eager to look into marginalized communities and build rapport. 

The LGBTQ+ concept is still a sensitive topic in China. However, during our Shanghai trip, we surprisingly discovered that the LGBTQ+ community is still robustly growing despite the Government’s crackdown. We met with the local lesbian community and here are our key takeaways. 👭🏻

1️⃣ More gay bars than lesbian bars

Despite dozens of gay bars in Shanghai, there is only one lesbian bar: Roxie. Not only here, but international cities like Paris or even NYC face the same dynamic: gay male bars systematically outnumber lesbian bars. 

Why is that? According to Boston University’s research in 2022, the gender wage gap often means cisgender women & trans women have less spending money than cisgender men. At Roxie’s, a gay woman told us that Chinese females are less motivated than males to seek a sense of belonging, which may be a deeper reason for this phenomenon.

2️⃣ Lesbian communities remain underground 

Roxie’s vibe was subdued, unlike the other “nightclub” we envisioned. Gathering in small groups, women intimately talked to one another with restrained physical contact – PDA (public display of affection) was rarely spotted. Some women told us this “lesbian nightlife” remains secret, and none have come out to family yet. On social media, lesbian couple influencers often use “friendship” as a cover to share their lives. 

3️⃣ Rising popularity of gay bars among young Chinese 

Discovering gay bars has become a new trend among heterosexual young people on Red. Aside from the excitement of going to an LGBTQ+ bar for the “first time,” many heterosexual youngsters state that they also enjoy the feeling of “being accepted” for who they are – mainly due to the inclusive atmosphere of these spaces. 

In the bars, fashionably dressed young people passionately interact with each other – sexual orientation does not matter anymore at this very moment; it is the free self-expression they embrace. 

This is the last episode about our Shanghai trip, but more content about China is still to come! Stay tuned ! 💫 

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