Live streaming is evolving into quite the form of cultural expression in China today. It’s a medium that’s used for everything from blatant exhibitionism to education, from highbrow art to profit-driven entertainment. As some of the more salient (read: potentially lucrative) elements of Chinese-style live streaming are adapted for overseas audiences, in China the format is being used for an ever wider scope of purposes. The latest: LGBT activism.
TechNode has just published a short video showing several volunteers from the non-profit PFLAG China (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) using live streaming to share their coming out stories. TechNode’s Timmy Shen writes:
Often times, the nature of live streaming — real-time audience interaction — brings in the most exciting discussions. “Sometimes people don’t care what our theme (of the live streaming) is,” said [head of volunteer management at PFLAG China] Flora. “They would just throw in random questions like ‘I’m falling for a straight guy but I’m a gay man, what should I do?’ or ‘I just came out to my parents and they were furious, what should I do?’”
Aside from going live on LGBT dating apps like Blued and LesPark, PFLAG also broadcasts on Yizhibo — the live streaming platform that serves a broader audience base rather than just the gay community.
Read more here, and watch the video below (or here if you’re having VPN issues):
