The Chinese Queer Collection - A Workshop for Activists, Archivists and Academics at Leiden University

12 June 2025

To celebrate the formal launch of the Leiden Chinese Queer Collection (LCQC, 莱顿华语酷儿文献收藏), promote Chinese queer studies scholarship, and raise the visibility of Chinese queer history and culture, the LCQC steering committee will hold a workshop on 24-25 July 2025, under the aegis of the Leiden University Institute for Area Studies (LIAS).

This event brings together activists, archivists and researchers. The reach program will discuss practical, scholarly, political, and ethical issues pertaining to the preservation and dissemination of information on queer history and culture in the Chinese-speaking world, and consider ways of growing the Collection, collaborating with other institutions, and more.

This program is free and open to the public upon registration. Participants may register for the full program or choose individual sessions. There are 20 seats available. Those on the waiting list will be notified by email in July if any spaces become available.

Registration

Program

Day 1 – Thursday, 24 July 202

11:00–11:15
Welcome and Opening Remarks

11:15–12:30
Panel 1: Archiving Queer History and Cultural Practices
This panel presents the preserving stories, memories, and cultural expressions of Chinese-speaking queer communities.

12:30–13:30
Lunch Break

14:00–15:00
Panel 2: Community, Resistance, and Queer Life
This panel explores how queer individuals and communities navigate activism, family, and visibility. Through historical and contemporary case studies, it highlights how everyday resistance and collec-tive organising shape queer life.

15:00–15:20
Tea Break

15:20–16:30
Panel 3: Performing Queerness – Art, Media, and Storytelling
This panel examines how gender and queer identity are expressed and transformed through literature, performance, and visual media. It highlights creative practices as tools of resistance, cultural critique, and self-affirmation.

16:30–17:20
Performance and Dialogue
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Day 2 – Friday, 25 July 2025

09:30–10:40
Panel 4: Law, Visibility, and Queer Resistance
This panel explores how queer and feminist activists confront legal, institutional, and state structures. It offers critical reflections on visibility, recognition, and resistance under tightening political conditions.

10:40–11:00
Tea Break

11:00–12:10
Panel 5: Migration, Diaspora, and Queer Belonging
This panel featuring the transnational queer identity, displacement, and the emotional geographies of belonging.

House rules

We respectfully ask all participants to adhere to the following rules for the duration of the workshop sessions.

To create a safe and open environment for dialogue, this workshop will follow the Chatham House Rule:

Participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed without explicit permission.

In addition, we kindly ask all participants to observe the following:

Do not record audio, video, or take photographs during the sessions in the library. The library volunteer will take photos during the workshop and no photo will be made public without the permission of the people involved.
Respect all contributions—both scholarly and lived experience—with care, confidentiality, and cultural sensitivity.
Ask for permission before quoting or referencing specific individuals in any public materials, publications, or social media.
Maintain a supportive atmosphere where all participants—whether activists, archivists, or academics—feel heard, affirmed, and safe.
Please wear your name badge to access the library where our workshop located.

Let us collectively uphold a space of solidarity, curiosity, and care.