AI Summary
The article discusses the unique queer terms and identities within China's queer communities, focusing on the phrase "people inside the circle" to describe those with a common queer identity. Specifically, it mentions Casey James Miller's work with queer NGOs in northwest China, highlighting the challenges faced in culturally perceived traditional and backward regions. This research sheds light on the diversity and dynamics of China's queer communities and the efforts being made for LGBTQ rights and visibility in less progressive areas of the country.
China’s queer communities have a rich lexicon of queer terms, many of which are unique to China. One predominant phrase is “people inside the circle”, described as people sharing “a common queer identity” that can be “as small as a few queer friends” or as large as “the entire global community”. In his book, Inside the circle: queer culture and activism in northwest China, Casey James Miller discusses his time working with queer non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in post-socialist China operating in the northwest Shaanxi Province and city of Xi’an—typically described by residents inside the circle as “culturally and socially ‘backward’ and ‘traditional’” when compared with cities in eastern China.