Mainland Chinese parents of gay children rally for LGBT rights at Hong Kong forum

When a housewife from Henan learned her son-in-law had not touched her daughter since the wedding, she knew her suspicions had turned out to be true.

"I told her before the wedding: 'You found a man who cooks and cleans and dresses himself? He must be gay.' I was right, of course."

Lan Yueliang, who now runs an online support group for wives of gay men in China (called tongqi), was one of the speakers who shared stories at the first annual Rainbow China Forum in Hong Kong last month. It was a rare gathering of over 200 gay rights advocates from across China.

Lan said that even though she was able to help her daughter get a divorce, many other tongqi - especially those living in rural areas - did not pursue divorce for fear of social stigma.

"The point is to stop shaming gay husbands," she said. "Parents need to support their children instead of forcing them to marry. No one benefits from such an awful situation."

In the past decade, gay-rights groups had started to proliferate in bigger mainland cities, whereas Macau's first such group was only established this year. In relatively gay-friendly Taiwan, on the other hand, legislators are now reviewing a same-sex marriage bill.

The forum attracted nearly a 100 mainland participants, with some from small towns and rural areas, who said that it was important for Chinese parents and family members to get involved in the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) rights movement.