A Chinese university graduate admitted being lesbian and called for equal rights at her graduation ceremony on Saturday.
"Wearing a rainbow flag, I declare to the president of Sun Yat-Sen University that I have come out … I hope the legalization of gay marriage will not be the end but a starting point for equal rights," wrote the female graduate, Wan Qing, on her Weibo Saturday.
Wan's announcement came after the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling to legalize gay marriage nationwide, which also inspired Wan, according to the 22-year-old graduate.
Wan was seen in one photo hugging the university president and making a clenched fist gesture together with him. In China, that gesture is considered a sign of encouragement. The post has been reposted over 3,400 times as of press time and many netizens said they supported it.
Wan told the Global Times Sunday that she had expected the president to give her his blessings when she came up on stage. "Though I did not get his blessings, I felt good when he did not stop me."
However, some felt uneasy with such a high-profile gesture. According to a member of the university's campus media, some professors of the university's Communist Youth League Committee allegedly asked that Wan's picture with the rainbow flag be removed from its WeChat account due to "bad influence."
Wan said that she personally did not receive any warning or punishment after the ceremony, but several university professors gave her their encouragement.
An anonymous associate professor who taught Wan told the Global Times that she stands by Wan's choice.
"Her announcement marks progress made in China's education system and may even encourage other universities to attach more significance to education on sex and sexual orientation," she said.
Wan said she decided to come out on her graduation day because she identified herself as a lesbian at the university, especially in gender-related courses.
