Pride Talk | Meet our final speakers!
Due to unforeseen circumstances, two of our speakers are not able to make it. But fear not, we have many speakers ready to step up!
We have also invited Ms. Mei from PFLAG as our special guest to share with us about “Born This Way – A Ten-Year Milestone”.
With Pride Talk fast approaching,
we have prepared a short Q&A
with the guest speakers,
so you can get to know them
before the event.
01 Jewelry With Heart
Editor: What was it like to graduate from FIT and become the first Chinese jewelry designer for an Indian royal family?
Gia: This was my first job, and because it was for a royal family, the whole experience screamed luxury. Jewels were collected from all over the world for each design. For instance, if we did emeralds, they would find the most unique and rare emeralds, and I would then pick two similar ones for the earrings and the biggest and brightest for the main stone on the ring.
Diamonds were unlimited with them, as if they were sand! It was all very extravagant but also quite fascinating. However, the whole concept felt too far out of reach.
I wanted to do something meaningful, so I stopped designing expensive jewelry for royalty. Now, my jewelry is priced for the average person. I’m putting my education to good use.
People might ask me why I’m not designing clothes or furniture, but it’s the same to me. The thing I set out to do is to spread girl power. If I had a skill like singing, I would sing to spread the word. If I could paint, I would focus on painting feminist works. I have seen some related exhibitions, and I found them fascinating.
Making jewelry is my profession and my forte. I want to put feminism into the product and empower those in need of strength.
02 Shanghai’s Lesbian Community and Me
Editor: You’ve said that you realized you were a lesbian at age 5. Can you tell us about the experience?
Momo: I remember playing mom and dad with the neighbor’s daughter and asking to be the dad and the uncle. It was my natural instinct.
03 Taoism, Confucianism & Homosexuality
Editor: How did you become a Taoist of Mount Maoshan?
Liu Bin: Mount Maoshan has been endowed with a sense of mystery in movies and TV shows through things like Taoist rituals. From a personal perspective, Mount Maoshan is the most stereotyped place in China. None of the Taoists represented in movies or TV shows are good people. But it is the same mysterious touch that drew me to it and inspired me to become a Taoist.
04 A New Way to Break the Prejudice Chain
Editor: Have you ever met any clients who were struggling with discrimination or their identity as a part of the LGBTQ community?
Xuan Xuan: I have come across many problems like this, including identity issues and discrimination. For example, using public bathrooms is a difficult task for some transgender people. They might confuse others; they might be stopped by waiters or cleaning ladies. There will be stares. This group of people need tremendous strength, but there will still be situations beyond their imagination. This is when counseling comes in. They come to me for assistance.
05 Transgender Experience
Editor: Tell us about the changes “Who Can Who Up” has brought you.
Chao Xiaomi: Nothing much. But I’ve heard Who Can Who Up was later censored. I believe it will go back on the air one day. Just like how the public will accept us one day. I believe that day is not far away.
06 Evolution of Yuran
Editor: What is life like as a campus social worker in the mountains of Gansu?
Fang Yuran: I work as an on-campus social worker at the elementary school in Touzhaizi Town, Huining County, Baiyin, Gansu Province. My life is divided into weeks: I have 12 social work classes a week, visit families every week, and tutor students each night. We also have 90 minutes of social worker free time every evening — kids can come play games, read, and play with toys like Rubik’s Cubes.
07 Reaching Queer
Editor: What does the gender studies group Yuanrenshe do?
Jin Yicun: Yuanrenshe has attracted many students who are interested in the topic of sex and gender studies, including sexual minorities. The most common activity we host is the Yuanren Tea Party, a small, gender-friendly forum. The first half is usually based on a specific topic. We talked about “getting sexual in Guangzhou” last time. The second half is for general discussion. Students are confused about whether to come out at school or how to come out. The open discussion is usually heartwarming and inspirational. In addition to this, we have invited famous gender studies scholars from both here and abroad for our Yuanren Lectures, including Professor Wei Wei’s gay family research and Mr. Wenqing Kang’s 30 years of oppression and awakening of homosexuality in China. We have also hosted Yuanren Workshops, discussing the history of gender studies and internal debates.
08 My Nudist Wedding
Editor: What did you do in the two years you spent living in Dali?
Vincent Lian: I oversaw branding and management of a Chinese-Australian hostel, and later founded a carpentry workshop with my friends and developed some innovative projects. The rest of my time was spent hiking the Sichuan-Tibet Highway, doing Vipassana, pilgrimage, travel, and writing. But the most important thing about life in Dali was the people — I saw a million different ways of living.
09 How We Built Our Group and Community
Editor: Why did you start your transgender group and community?
Jim Gu: We are here to find others like us to communicate with and have fun!
10 Them
Editor: Why did you decide to join Pride Talk?
Chen Lihua: My good friend told me that I should do something for the LGBT community as an LGBT-friendly person, and introduced ShanghaiPRIDE to me. I saw the speakers recruitment post and decided to give it a try.
We hope you have learned a lot about Pride Talk guest speakers. Reserve a spot now! Seats are limited!
Pride Talk
Date： 2018-06-16
Time： 14:00-17:00
Venue：M Glam
Address：
7/F Bund No. 5, 20 Guangdong Rd (near Zhongshan Dong Yi Rd ), Huangpu District
Entry, RSVP Required
