Education
Born in Beijing in 1952, Li attended Shanxi University from 1974 to 1977. In 1982 she went to the United States of America and obtained a Doctor of Philosophy in sociology from University of Pittsburgh (1988).
李银河, 李銀河
Born in Beijing in 1952, Li attended Shanxi University from 1974 to 1977. In 1982 she went to the United States of America and obtained a Doctor of Philosophy in sociology from University of Pittsburgh (1988).
Her main academic interests have been sexual norms in contemporary contemporary China, homosexuality, diverse sexual behaviors including sadomasochism, and women"s studies. She became an editor at the government newspaper Guangming Daily, then a researcher at Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Afterwards she worked as a postdoc then as an instructor at Peking University.
In 1992 she became a professor at the Institute of Sociology at Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
She retired in 2012. Li announced in December 2014 that she had been in a long-term relationship with a transgender man, Zhang Hongxia (b 1965), for 15 years. Li has been active in calling for greater tolerance for nonconventional sexual activities in China.
She thinks the country is undergoing a de facto sexual revolution, and encourages people to re-examine traditional attitudes towards sexual promiscuity and homosexuality. She proposes decriminalization of orgies and prostitution (both currently illegal in China).
She also believes that monogamy is a personal decision made between a couple, and should not be enforced by law or social pressure.
None have succeeded so far. She was a keynote speaker at the 2006 International Conference on LGBT Human Rights in Montreal. Li also publicly speaks about other issues of social justice, such as the growing urban-rural divide in China.
As a member of the national committee of Chinese People"s Political Consultative Conference, Li had submitted proposals to legalize same-sex marriages in 2003, 2005 and 2006.
