Fashion Blogs

She was volunteering at the Beijing LGBT Center, making a film about women’s rights in a crowded and noisy room. And there in the middle of the crowd, she spotted a woman who radiated beauty and confidence.

Seeing Xu Na for the first time struck Xue so deeply that she would remember the moment down to the outfit Xu had on: black sweater, blue scarf. Even as she walked up to Xu, she said, she knew she was the one.

The Beijing artists have been together for more than two years and plan to stay together. But gay marriage is not legal in China.

Shanghai resident Li Tao, 30, is lifted by his new husband, Duan Rongfeng, 38, one of seven Chinese same-sex couples married in a group wedding ceremony that was officiated by West Hollywood Mayor Lindsey Horvath at the West Hollywood Library.

CAPTIONChinese same-sex couples win 'dream wedding'

Seven Chinese couples share a kiss after a group wedding ceremony, officiated by West Hollywood Mayor Lindsey Horvath at the West Hollywood Library.

On Tuesday, Xue and Xu got married in West Hollywood.

They were one of seven gay and lesbian couples who were wed in a group ceremony after winning a contest whose sponsors included the e-commerce giant Alibaba, its online shopping site Taobao and China’s largest mobile gay dating app, Blued.

The WeDo contest, as it was called, attracted much media interest and hundreds of applicants in China. Finalists were chosen from short videos they had submitted to describe their love stories. The prize was an all-expenses-paid California dream wedding and honeymoon.

GOP's same-sex marriage trap: Conservatives oppose it intenselySEE ALL RELATED8Geng Le, chief executive of Blued, said through a translator that he hoped the contest and the weddings would give hope to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, letting them know that there are places like West Hollywood where “this sort of love and companionship is accepted.”

Geng, whose app has more than 15 million users, said that while there was corporate interest in the contest, the intent was very personal and the love stories very emotional.

“As I’m gay myself, I’m hoping to one day be able to marry my partner,” he said. “For me personally, I’d like to help the wider LGBT community find happiness.”

For me personally, I'd like to help the wider LGBT community find happiness

- Geng Le, chief executive of Blued, China's largest gay dating app

The couples got marriage licenses at the Beverly Hills Courthouse earlier this week. While their marriages will not be recognized in China, they are legal in the United States. If the couples travel to the U.S., they can claim each other as spouses on their forms.

For reasons of social acceptance and parental pressure, many gay men in China — up to 80% by some estimates — will marry women. Homosexuality was severely punished during the Cultural Revolution era of 1966-1976 under a statute forbidding “hooliganism.” Officially, gay sex was a criminal offense until 1997.

THOUGHT DANCER

In the past, homosexuality, gambling and prostitution were all considered dirty subjects and not allowed in the media,” said Li Yinhe, a Chinese sociologist and sexologist.

But as the country’s economy has developed and tolerance has grown, the Chinese government has taken a somewhat agnostic approach toward homosexuality, neither banning nor endorsing it, Li said.

Gay dating apps are popular in China, and gay weddings are increasingly attracting public interest. Last September, a gay British diplomat in China married his Chinese American partner at the British ambassador’s residence in Beijing. (Gay marriage is legal in Britain.) News of the ceremony went viral on Chinese social media.

Researcher accused of fraud in gay marriage study responds to critics

With all the attention on the WeDo contest, Tuesday's wedding at the West Hollywood Library felt surreal to Xue and Xu.

As camera crews surrounded her, Xue sneaked a look at Xu getting her makeup applied and giggled nervously. Her bride-to-be was wearing a long white dress with lace and pearls.

Asked how Xu looked, Xue couldn’t answer the question. She said if she did, she would start crying and mess up her makeup.

“First sight,” she said, recalling when she knew she would love Xu. “First sight.”

Xue said she has not told her family that she is a lesbian, despite the media attention. She wanted to marry her love and to show them the joy in the photos so they would know: This is what a happy couple looks like. This is what acceptance looks like.

As they walked down the aisle at the West Hollywood Library — where, two summers ago, hundreds gathered to celebrate gay marriage becoming legal in California — Xue adjusted the train on Xu’s dress.

read more:simple prom dresses