Social media superstar, gay model, entrepreneur and a single father, 34 year old Edison Fan has built a strong following and a career, and is an influential voice for the LGBTQ+ community in China STYLE LGBTQ+ Series: Queer voices Scrolling through Edison Fan’s Instagram feed, at first glance, he looks like a typical fashion model. But beyond the nearly naked selfies, casual underwear shots and creative fashion editorials, he is one of China’s biggest openly gay influencers, boasting 536,000 followers on Instagram and 1 million followers on Weibo. Despite being out in a country where rampant discrimination still exists, he has managed to carve a flourishing and successful career. Read on to find out more about Edison and how his life as a gay model resonates with the LGBTQ+ community. LGBTQ+ and androgynous K-pop idols who challenge gender norms His son Frederic was born via surrogacy View this post on Instagram A post shared by Edison Fan | 樊野 (@edisonfanye) on Jun 20, 2020 at 3:11pm PDT On his Instagram Q&A stories, Edison wrote having Frederic was the happiest moment of his life. However, he acknowledged parenting should not be taken lightly. “You will be responsible for a long time; bringing life into this world is a huge responsibility,” he says. He didn’t come out until he was 22 View this post on Instagram Started from last year, I have been criticized within China that I don’t talk about gay rights enough, that I have forgotten my roots. Which got me thinking. I came out in 2008 to my family, I was lucky enough to be married to a man once, I now work in a industry that is super gay friendly. I have been living my life over the last a few years where I don’t come across any homophobic behavior at all. It is correct to say, sometime I do ‘forget’ I’m gay, or it is more fair to say that I forget about the struggle for being gay. While there are still many gay people out there, young or old, Chinese or not, struggling to be who they are. It is #pridemonth this June, I would like that to take a little picture, and send a little message out there. You have every right to love who you love, to be who you want to be. Hanging there, be proud, it does get better. ️ #pridemonth2020 #pride . . . : @kenxuncao : @yuyujinli_makeup A post shared by Edison Fan | 樊野 (@edisonfanye) on Jun 25, 2020 at 2:10pm PDT In the same story, he explained how he planned to come out after finishing his studies so that he would be financially independent. It took years for his parents to embrace his sexuality. “I had to tell them because they decided to have a child, and my orientation comes in a package with that decision.” Pride Month: 7 LGBTQ+ athletes who use their fame to fight for equality Surprisingly, he doesn’t live in the gym View this post on Instagram A post shared by Edison Fan | 樊野 (@edisonfanye) on Jun 4, 2020 at 8:28pm PDT Edison shocked his followers when he revealed he only works out 2-3 times a week. But when he is preparing for a shoot, he’ll go to the gym 5-6 times a week. He adds diet is important to maintain his body. “You need to eat enough, so you don’t lose muscle, but not too much or else you’ll gain fat.” He was warned against posting sexy photos View this post on Instagram A post shared by Edison Fan | 樊野 (@edisonfanye) on Mar 16, 2020 at 2:48pm PDT In an interview with Paper , Edison was warned by his agent to stop posting sexy pictures as luxury brands will not sponsor him and he’ll end up selling sportswear and underwear. But he realised that he could excel in selling those items and became the best in the field. Edison then established fashion brands OMG (On My Game) Sportswear and U-Touch Underwear. Both have featured Asian models in their campaigns and have championed Asian men and made them more visible in social media. 5 Filipino supermodels who put Asian beauty in the spotlight He supports the LGBTQ+ community by being open and honest View this post on Instagram Ezra’s face paint cover reminded me a shoot I did in 2016 (obviously it’s nothing like Ezra’s, but just a little paint was used). And that jacket still looks great in 2020. #throwback A post shared by Edison Fan | 樊野 (@edisonfanye) on Mar 13, 2020 at 2:04pm PDT As an LGBTQ+ advocate and an ally, Edison prefers to showcase his support through his actions. “I don’t have to write consistently ‘It gets better’ or ‘It doesn’t matter if you’re gay or straight’ – it’s not my method. We all have our ways of supporting the community, and I do it through showcasing my life candidly,” he told Paper . Want more stories like this? Sign up here . Follow STYLE on Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and Twitter .