For Valentine's Day, Alibaba Helps Gay Chinese Couples Get Married in the U.S.
Posted in: UncategorizedOne of Alibaba’s shopping platforms just hosted a surprising Valentine’s Day contest: Ten same-sex Chinese couples won a trip to California to get married there.
The contest appeared on Alibaba’s Taobao marketplace, which is similar to eBay. Users voted on the finalists based on short videos of the couples telling their stories when and how they met, why they want to get married. A Chinese bedding company called Bliss, which sells its products via Alibaba, is funding the trips.
The promotion is noteworthy on a few levels. Gay marriage is not legal in China. Since homosexuality is still relatively taboo, many in the community aren’t out to their families and friends. (Discussion of weddings in China’s LGBT community often focuses on marriages of convenience between gay men and lesbian women, a way to shield their identities from their families. Gay marriage is still a distant dream.)
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