CRMA Hosts Ye Bei (left) and Wei Tingting (right)
On 22 December 2012, the second annual China Rainbow Media Awards (CRMA) was held in Guangzhou. Organized by the Beijing Gender Health Education Institute and eleven other Chinese organizations, CRMA is the first ever Chinese media award with a focus on LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) issues. CRMA seeks to direct media in a way that is diverse and positively representational of LGBT issues. The award not only garnered attention from media outlets all over China, but also the support of public figures such as Fan Bingbing, Anthony Wong, Xu Gehui, and Lv-Qiu Luwei.
More Than 30 Media Outlets in Attendance
More than 30 media outlets gathered at the Donlord International Hotel in Guangzhou to attend the CRMA award ceremony. Lv Pin spoke on behalf of the judges’ panel. Recipients such as Southern Metropolis Weekly, Global Times, Southern Television Economics Channel, iFeng, Youku, and Sohu sent delegates to the ceremony.
Public Figures Offer Powerful Support
Fan Bingbing, Anthony Wong, Xu Gehui, Lv-Qiu Luwei, Cheng Qingsong, Chow Yiufai and Zhao Ke, among others, offered their support for CRMA and China’s LGBT movement by recording short video segments.
Anthony Wong and Denise Ho Honoured With Special Contribution Awards
Anthony Wong and Denise Ho were both awarded with the CRMA’s annual Special Contribution Award. On the night of the ceremony, Anthony Wong was performing nearby at Tianhe Stadium and could not make it to the CRMA ceremony, but he did deliver his acceptance speech through a pre-recorded video. Wei Jiangang, director of the Beijing Gender Health Education Institute, delivered the award to Anthony Wong at Tianhe Stadium.
A Renowned Panel of Judges
The 2012 CRMA boasted a panel of renowned judges including Chinese judges Li Yinhe, Lv Pin, Nan Xianghong, Cui Zi’en, Ai Xiaoming, Cheng Qingsong, and international judges Anna Leach, Steven Jiang, and Tomasz Sajewicz.
This year’s awards took into account more than 499,000 LGBT-themed items from 57 newspapers, 45 magazines, 18 television stations, and over a hundred online media outlets published between September 2011 and September 2012.
Seven Major Awards
The following works were honored:
• Southern Metropolis Daily: “LGBT Youth in Schools” – Best Newspaper Report
• Southern Metropolis Weekly: “Starting from Eradicating Discrimination (By Lv-Qiu Luwei)” – Best Magazine Report
• Southern Television Economics Channel: “An An & Mark: Our Gay Marriage (All-People Discussion)” – Best Television Report
• Sohu: “LGBT Love (five part mini series)” – Best Web Report
• Youku: “My Way (Beautiful 2012 All Star Micro Film)” – Best Internet Video
• Global Times: “Bullied Out of the Closet (By Lin Meilian)” – Best English Report
• iFeng: “Legalizing Same-sex Marriage (People’s Forum)” – People’s Choice Award
Media Outlets Demonstrate Enthusiasm for LGBT Issues
During the afternoon of 22 December, CRMA along with PFLAG China and the Sun Yat-Sen University Gender Equity Forum hosted a workshop on how to report on LGBT-related issues. More than 20 media outlets from all over China participated in the workshop and engaged in conversation with lecturers such as renowned media expert Li Jun and feminist activist Lv Pin.
13% of News Reports Highlight LGBT Criminals
At CRMA’s media reception, Professor Ke Qianting from Sun Yat-Sen University presented a report on the media monitoring of LGBT issues’ media coverage (with statistics collected by Les+ from January to September 2012). 13% of these reports emphasize LGBT individuals engaging in criminal activity. During this period, in reports reblogged more than 40 times, 45% is negative coverage – positive coverage and neutral coverage were tallied at 26% and 29% respectively. Ke Qianting notes: “the media still associates certain incidents with the LGBT community and link the community with deviance, danger, and crime. These kinds of reports further propagate stigmatization and stereotypes.”
Members of the LGBT Community Present Awards
CRMA signifies that China’s LGBT community is mobilizing from a position of being reported on to being proactively engaging with the media. From sourcing the nominees to organizing the workshop and the award ceremony, the LGBT community’s rapport with media outlets is continuously strengthened. Each year’s CRMA symbolizes the LGBT community’s effort in propelling inclusive media and raising visibility and at the same time documenting media’s progress in exhibiting more accurate and professional journalism. This is significant for both the LGBT community and the media.
Friends, Family, and Scholars of the LGBT Community Speak Out
Mrs. Dong, a proud gay mom, travelled from Shenzhen to attend the CRMA and present an award. She notes that “bullying on the basis of sexual orientation is a serious problem among youth. My child is a university student and I hope that he can study and live in a non-discriminatory and safe environment. I’m glad to see that mainstream media is starting to report on these important issues, I hope that more people from the media and the education sector can pay attention to youth who are bullied because of their sexual orientation.”
Yi Ling, a 84-year-old MTF trans activist, came from Foshan. She is the oldest openly trans person in China. She notes that “there wasn’t much contact between the media and trans people before, so it was easy for trans people to be stigmatized and reported as a monstrosity. Now, there are more accurate depictions of trans people in media. However, the good reports are scarce and trans people are still regularly being discriminated against to the point of losing their jobs and livelihoods. I hope society can pay more attention to discrimination issues.”
A-Shan, the 58-year-old board director of PFLAG China, notes: “in recent years, LGBT-related items are being reported on in more accurate ways. I witnessed the decriminalization and the depathologization of homosexuality. I hope the LGBT community can do even better in the future.”
Ms. Guan presented an award as a straight ally. She notes: “I bring my husband and my daughter to LGBT events so they can know more about sexual and gender diversity. I think the CRMA is a great idea because many of my friends are ignorant about LGBT issues and mainstream media can fill this void.”
Press Release by: 2012 China Rainbow Media Awards
Attachment: 2012 LGBT Report by Les+
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