China gets its first gay TV show

Even though media censorship there is pretty well documented, China is about to get its first gay-themed TV show.

The hour-long show, Tongxing Xianglian (which means Connecting Homosexuals) will air online at www.phoenixtv.com, and some segments will broadcast on television.

The show’s producer, Gang Gang told the Associated Press:

"while gays have appeared on Chinese TV shows, this will be the first show to focus on gay issues and the first with an openly gay host, AIDS activist Didier Zheng. Gang said he hopes the Beijing-based show will improve public understanding of Chinese gay people.

"There are many people in China's gay community, but people don't have a deep enough understanding about this community. This community faces a lot of trouble and difficulties. They face a lot of pressure," Gang said.

The new show will explore homosexuality from legal, parental and sociological perspectives, dealing with issues like gay marriage, Gang said.

Zheng, college educated in France, said that he thought gays faced less discrimination in China than in the West because of Christian beliefs. The extent to which the show will be subject to Chinese government censors remains to be seen.