China's pioneering gay rights group halts operations under 'force majeure'

The Beijing LGBT Center, one of China's leading organizations providing resources and support for the queer population, announced in May 2023 that it would cease operations. [AFP]

The 15-year-old Beijing LGBT Center, one of the pioneers of the "different sexual orientation movement" in China, announced this week that it had terminated its operations without explanation.

Analysts said the closure of the well-known rights center was seen as inevitable and a reflection of the increasingly repressive political environment in China under Xi Jinping.