Pride5 Panel Discussion II – Gay Marriage

This event is sponsored by the US Consulate General Shanghai Public Affairs Section.

The Netherlands became the first country to approve the validity of same-sex marriage in 2001, while France became the 14th country last month. Meanwhile, Minnesota, is the 12th US state to recognize gay marriage. Nepal, Vietnam and other countries in Asia are also promoting the same-sex marriage bill. Same-sex marriage has triggered a global debate.

In China, same-sex marriage has raised awareness and concerns since Yinhe Li, a celebrated sociologist, submitted the proposal of same-sex marriage to the CPPCC several times. This year, various LGBT communities are also promoting and advocating for marriage equality in every possible way. Why has the same-sex marriage topic been such a hot topic this year? What kind of impact will it have on society? What are the opportunities and challenges? ShanghaiPRIDE invites speakers from China and America, including Eddy and Michael, a Chinese-American couple who are married in the US; Yifi Shen, a sociologist from Fudan University; and Ah Qiang, PFLAG Co-Founder. They will discuss the topic of same-sex marriage from their own experience, observation, and researches.

Date: Sat 22 June, 2013
Time: 2pm-4pm
Venue: U.S. Consulate General Shanghai Consular Section Waiting Room – 8/F Westgate Mall, 1038 West Nanjing Road (near Jiangning Road)
Entry: Free – Registration required, email shanghaipride@gmail.com.

Eddy & Michael
Eddy owns and operates Eddy’s Bar, which first opened for business in Shanghai in 1995. The bar welcomes all, and is known for its relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Eddy moved to Shanghai from Fujian over twenty years ago, and now calls Shanghai his home. In addition to running Eddy’s Bar, Eddy has in recent years been renovating old flats and homes in Shanghai, primarily for the expat rental market.
Michael is an international partner at Haiwen & Partners, based in Shanghai. He has lived and worked in Shanghai for over 12 years and in Greater China for well over twenty years. His law practice focuses on cross-border mergers and acquisitions and foreign direct investment matters. He is also a two-term member of the Owner’s Committee of Embankment Building, where Eddy and he reside.
Eddy and Michael first met at Eddy’s Bar in 2002, and they were married in San Francisco on August 8, 2008.

Yifei Shen – Associate Professor, Fudan University
Yifei Shen, PhD. in Social Science, graduated from Fudan University, School of Sociology. She is the Associate Professor of the School of Sociology, specializing in Social Development and Public Policy of Fudan University; Deputy Director of Fudan University’s Socio-Cultural Anthropology Research Center. Research areas include: gender studies, family studies etc.

Zhijun Hu (Ah Qiang) – Co-Founder of PFLAG China
From 2002 to 2011, Hu was a freelance journalist for Southern Metropolitan Daily, Southern Weekend, Guangzhou Daily, and Psychologies magazine. Beginning in 2002, he pushed for objective coverage of the topic of homosexuality in the media. Hu has a wealth of experience in NGO public relations and the use of social media to encourage social movements. In June 2008, he co-founded PFLAG China, the first organization in China exclusively serving friends and families of the LGBT community. In May 2009, Mr. Hu founded New Perspectives 360, China’s first group to combat the defamation of homosexuals in the media.Since August 2011, Mr. Hu has served full-time as Director of PFLAG China.

If you have any question, or you need more info, please email shanghaipride@gmail.com.