Navigating advocacy and resilience: strategic advocacy progression in a Chinese lesbian organization

Abstract

Introduction: this article introduces strategic advocacy progression to explain how a Chinese lesbian organization sustains advocacy despite restrictions, balancing adaptability with efforts for change.

Methods: our first author conducted 10 months of fieldwork (August 2022–May 2023), using archival research and semi-structured interviews with 16 staff members, legal experts, and human rights activists to explore the lesbian organization’s advocacy strategies and challenges.

Results: employing a multi-layered strategy, including an oral history project, direct legal support for survivors of gender-based violence, online events, and integration into mainstream initiatives, the lesbian organization engages in advocacy with tactical precision, remaining sensitive to political constraints.

Conclusion: strategic advocacy progression advances the theory of visibility and invisibility in global LGBTQ + activism by offering a nuanced, context-sensitive strategy that navigates between confrontation and concealment. It also provides a useful lens for understanding the unique challenges faced by lesbian organizations within China’s broader LGBTQ + movement.

Policy Implications: strategic advocacy progression provides an adaptable framework for LGBTQ + movements in restrictive environments, emphasizing a flexible continuum of visibility. For lesbian activism, this approach shifts the focus from symbolic legal victories to addressing everyday violence and discrimination within China’s legal constraints.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Shuai Wei: orcid.org/0000-0001-9627-787X

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