Between Resistance and Accommodation: How Queer People Evaluate Xinghun (Cooperative Marriage) in Urban China

• In Event: 20416 - Global Perspectives on Same-Sex Marriage and Queer Parenting

Abstract

Marriage between gay men and lesbian women (xinghun, or cooperative marriage) has emerged as a strategic response to marriage pressure in contemporary China. While previous research examines xinghun as resistance to heteronormativity, this study investigates how gender shapes Chinese queer people’ attitudes toward this practice. Drawing on 41 in-depth interviews with queer men and women in Guangdong, China, conducted between July 2024 and March 2025, my research reveals that traditional family structures and gender norms create distinct challenges, leading to divergent evaluations of xinghun. The findings show three key patterns. First, while both queer men and women view xinghun as deceptive and burdensome, men demonstrate greater openness to the arrangement. Second, gender shapes how individuals evaluate xinghun’s risks: queer women’s resistance primarily stems from concerns about reproductive expectations and bodily autonomy, while queer men worry about financial vulnerability and property rights. Third, these gendered concerns reflect distinct cultural scripts about family obligations, particularly regarding patrilineal inheritance and family line continuation. This research advances understanding of queer family arrangements in non-Western contexts by demonstrating how gender mediates resistance to heteronormative institutions. By examining xinghun through a gender lens, the study complicates debates about whether such arrangements represent resistance or accommodation to heteronormativity, revealing instead how gender shapes distinct forms of negotiation with familial and social expectations.

Author

• Guangquan Shen, Indiana University-Bloomington