Queer comrades: towards a postsocialist queer politics

Abstract

Perhaps one of the most fascinating changes in modern Chinese language in the past century is the use of the term tongzhi (). Literally 'comrade', the term is being used in the Chinese-speaking world today to refer to gender and sexual minorities, including LGBTQ people. This article traces a brief history of how the term has been used in modern Chinese history. In doing so, it identifies key moments of political articulation and unravels the socialist politics and revolutionary potentials embedded in each articulation. In particular, it focuses on how the term has been used in the Chinese-speaking world for queer identification and to mobilise transnational activism. Developing the idea of 'queer comrades' as a part of critical vocabulary, this article conjures up the socialist memories and revolutionary impulses that are embedded in contemporary queer subject formation and social movements; it also gestures to the continuing relevance of socialist histories and politics to contemporary queer politics.