China: The transgender choir who’re singing for acceptance

A transgender choir in China is helping to change attitudes through their work.

The members of the Trans Chorus, none of which are professional singers, have been brought together from across the country, according to a report by Agence France-Presse (AFP). The singers have been unite by their shared experiences of struggling with their gender identity.

Being transgender is still classes as a “mental illness” in China.

The choir recently performed at Milk LGBT Gala in Chengdu, which is considered to be one of China’s more liberal cities, where audience members were reportedly moved to tears. One choir member, Fang Yuran, who uses the gender neutral pronoun “ze,” shared experiences on stage of growing up in Hefei, a city in eastern Anhui.

“My reflection in the mirror, is a stranger’s face, which one is the real me, which one is the fake?,” Yuran told AFP. Read more via Pink News

In an old theatre between soaring tower blocks in China's southwestern city of Chengdu, a choir of transgender singers performs. The members of the Trans Chorus aren't professional singers and come from across China -- but they share similar stories of their struggle with identities in a country where being transgender is still classed as a "mental illness".