LGBT parents challenge stereotypes in China

LGBT parents challenge stereotypes in China

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Heads turn when An Hui and Ye Jianbin walk down a street in the Chinese city of Shenzhen with their triplets, who were conceived with help from a human egg donor and a surrogate mother.

People are mostly curious about their unconventional family, said An, adding that it was not always the case in China where gay couples have long battled conservative Confucian values.

. Xishuangbanna, CHINA. Reuters/Jason Lee
An Hui rests next to his sons.

"I'm lucky because I was born in China during a period of rapid change. Today's society is far more tolerant," the investment manager told Reuters at his office in Shenzhen's financial district.

"If I had been born during the Cultural Revolution, I would be dead," said An, 33, who met his partner Ye in 2008.

The two men wanted a family and began exploring the option of in vitro fertilisation (IVF), with help from a human egg donor and a surrogate mother.

. Shenzhen, CHINA. Reuters/Jason Lee
An Hui's and Ye Jianbin's sons walk to kindergarten.

In 2014, a Thai woman gave birth in Hong Kong to three boys – An Zhizhong, An Zhiya and An Zhifei - who were conceived using human eggs provided by a German fashion model, according to An.

He declined to identify the women or the surrogacy company that organised the procedures.

The issue of lesbian and gay couples having access to medically-assisted reproductive treatments such as IVF has stirred political debate in several countries, including more recently in France and Israel.

. Shenzhen, CHINA. Reuters/Jason Lee
An Hui's and Ye Jianbin's sons play next to their grandmother.

China's government has not stated a clear position on the country's LGBT community, Yanzi Peng, Director of LGBT Rights Advocacy China, a group based in Guangzhou.

"The best word to describe the attitude of the Chinese government is 'ignore'," said Peng.

"It's hard to gauge their exact attitude. They don't outright object to the LGBT community because that would really go against international attitudes on this issue," Peng added.

. Shenzhen, CHINA. Reuters/Jason Lee
A waiter helps An Hui and Ye Jianbin as An Zhiya gets a nosebleed after a lunch at a restaurant.

Other advocates for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community say China should relax laws that limit childbearing to heterosexual couples.

"Homosexual couples have no way to legally use reproductive technology. Many people must go abroad to pay an extremely high fee to have children," said Bin Xu, director of Beijing-based rights group LGBTI+.

After decades of Communist prudery about sex of all kinds, LGBT Chinese have in recent years been openly tackling bureaucracy, legal uncertainty and entrenched social norms to assert their place in society.

. Shenzhen, CHINA. Reuters/Jason Lee
Ye Jianbin helps triplets eat breakfast.

While large Chinese cities have thriving gay scenes and same sex relations are not illegal, the government has shown no interest in legalising same sex marriage, and launches periodic crackdowns on gay content online or elsewhere.

An Hui, who is a member of the ruling Communist Party, said its time to rethink traditional views of family and marriage as China grapples with an ageing population and declining birth rate.

. Shenzhen, CHINA. Reuters/Jason Lee
Ye Jianbin and An Hui prepare for a portrait.

China moved in 2016 to allow couples to have a second child, relaxing curbs dating back nearly four decades. State media said this year the government was considering scrapping all limits on the number of children a family can have.

"In China, lots of people say a family is a bond between a man and a woman, but that's not necessarily the case," An said.

"If a single man has children, a single woman has children, two men have children or two women have children, then for these people they have a family," he said. "A family needs love for it to be a family. It has nothing to do with sexuality."

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Slideshow

An Zhizhong (right) and An Zhiya sleep at home.
. Shenzhen, CHINA. Reuters/Jason Lee

An Zhizhong (right) and An Zhiya sleep at home.

Ye Jianbin appeases An Zhifei.
. Shenzhen, CHINA. Reuters/Jason Lee

Ye Jianbin appeases An Zhifei.

An Hui prepares to get dressed as Ye Jianbin plays with An Zhifei.
. Shenzhen, CHINA. Reuters/Jason Lee

An Hui prepares to get dressed as Ye Jianbin plays with An Zhifei.

An Zhifei stands next to his and his brothers' shoes.
. Xishuangbanna, CHINA. Reuters/Jason Lee

An Zhifei stands next to his and his brothers' shoes.

An Zhizhong stands next to a window at home.
. Shenzhen, CHINA. Reuters/Jason Lee

An Zhizhong stands next to a window at home.

An Zhifei hugs his teacher as he and his brothers arrive at kindergarten.
. Shenzhen, CHINA. Reuters/Jason Lee

An Zhifei hugs his teacher as he and his brothers arrive at kindergarten.

A real estate salesman wipes the sweat off of An Zhifei during a visit to a villa on sale.
. Xishuangbanna, CHINA. Reuters/Jason Lee

A real estate salesman wipes the sweat off of An Zhifei during a visit to a villa on sale.

An Hui listens to An Zhiya at his office.
. Shenzhen, CHINA. Reuters/Jason Lee

An Hui listens to An Zhiya at his office.

An Zhizhong, An Zhifei and An Zhiya play with a cleaning robot at their father An Hui's office.
. Shenzhen, CHINA. Reuters/Jason Lee

An Zhizhong, An Zhifei and An Zhiya play with a cleaning robot at their father An Hui's office.

An Zhiya weighs fruits he carries next to his grandmother.
. Shenzhen, CHINA. Reuters/Jason Lee

An Zhiya weighs fruits he carries next to his grandmother.

An Hui plays with An Zhizhong and An Zhifei.
. Shenzhen, CHINA. Reuters/Jason Lee

An Hui plays with An Zhizhong and An Zhifei.

An Zhizhong and An Zhifei play around a sofa.
. Shenzhen, CHINA. Reuters/Jason Lee

An Zhizhong and An Zhifei play around a sofa.