Unpacking the Stances and Affects in Weibo Comments on the Policy of Same-Sex Guardianship Agreements in China

Abstract

This article examines the comments of Weibo users’ on Same-sex Guardianship Agreements in China. Through a discourse analysis of the stance differentials and affective tensions that manifest in Weibo users’ comments on the policy and other related stance objects, this article offers a situated perspective for understanding discourses of gay rights in China. The analysis shows that some self-identified gay and lesbian Weibo users, by evaluating the policy as a good start, display their vulnerability, resistance, hopes, and misgivings toward gay rights development in China. Meanwhile, others are inclined to evaluate the policy as excessive promotion of homosexuality. Such an oppositional stance is couched in the feeling of being victimized and in an ambiguous stance of neither supporting nor disagreeing with homosexuality, which conceals the real-world inequalities that gay and lesbian people face. Sociocultural factors contributing to these different stances are discussed in this article.