Trans & wildly popular "Oprah of China" suddenly blackballed by Chinese government

A hugely popular trans dancer in China is off the stage after four long-scheduled performances were suddenly canceled by government authorities.

Performer Jin Xing, dubbed the “Oprah of China” for her crossover appeal in the conservative Communist country, learned in October that the Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism in Guangzhou canceled her show at the city’s opera house slated for December, CNN reports.

Subsequent shows in the cities of Foshan, Suzhou, and the cultural and commercial hub of Shanghai, where her troupe is based, were also called off by the venues without explanation.

Over a decades-long career, Jin has regularly sold out concerts and counts 13.6 million followers on her Weibo social media account. The 57-year-old hosts TV talk shows and is well-known for her frank and humor-filled commentary.

She’s also been lauded by the same government responsible for the cancelations: Chinese state media have called her one of “10 legendary figures of Chinese modern dance,” and she’s been the subject of glowing published profiles.

Authorities in the southern metropolis of Guangzhou, across Jiokeng Bay from Hong Kong, cited insufficient documentation for the sudden cancelation.

Following that notification, Jin wrote a rare admonishment to the government in a since-deleted post on Weibo: “Please don’t abuse your public power!”

Her three other performances were called off soon after.

In an interview with France 24, Jin was asked if the appearance of a rainbow flag at a performance in early 2024 may have contributed to the government’s change in attitude about the dancer. She said she waved the flag to comfort the fan who passed it to her.

“This thing happened in January. After that I performed all over the country and had no issues at all,” she said.

“Even today, I am still questioning why,” she said, of being banned from the stage, considering her stature after performing in the country for 40 years.

Over that time, China saw an official liberalization of attitudes toward the LGBTQ+ community. The country decriminalized homosexuality in 1997 and removed it from its official list of mental disorders in 2001. Events like Shanghai Pride flourished, and LGBTQ+ groups could be found easily on social media sites like WeChat.

But those attitudes have changed since 2015, when President Xi Jinping came to power. He’s imposed an increasingly paternalistic grip on the country, with authorities ramping up social controls in a government crusade defending “social morals.” Jin’s “cancelation” is the latest symbolic act of censorship in a years-long campaign to erase the LGBTQ+ community from Chinese society.

Shanghai Pride was largely canceled in 2021, the same year gay chat rooms across the mostly government-controlled internet disappeared.

Last year, the government initiated a crackdown on online gay erotica, known in China as danmei, sending several writers to prison in a “special task force” sweep. In 2023, the Beijing LGBT Center was shuttered.

“The majority have shut down,” a Chinese LGBTQ+ activist said of Pride centers across the country at the time. “The pressure has continuously grown. It’s never stopped.”

Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

Don’t forget to share:

Originally published here.