MWO International

Chinese dictionary refuses to define term for "gay"

gaywrites:

The newest version of a prominent Chinese dictionary has refused to include the gay-related definition of a common word, according to CNN. 

In Chinese, the word “tongzhi” means “comrade” and is widely used by the Communist Party. The word has recently evolved into a term for gay people as well, but the committee revising the dictionary chose to leave that definition out so as not to encourage people to use it. More fun facts:

The dictionary, which had its sixth edition published July 15, is one of the most renowned sources of information in China. According toCNTV this latest edition contains 69,000 entries — an increase of 4,000 from the fifth edition published in 2005.

“It’s unacceptable that the ‘gay’ meaning of ‘tongzhi’ was excluded from the dictionary, a reference book written for all, simply because of the compilers’ own preferences and values,” Nan Feng, a gay rights activist told the state-run news agency Xinhua.

“Tongzhi” serves as a substitute for “tongxinglian,” which is the formal Chinese term for homosexuality. The 2005 edition of the Contemporary Chinese Dictionary defines “tongxinglian” both as same-sex love and as a psychosexual disorder, according to Xinhua.

Fascinating as this whole thing is, it’s still a pretty unfortunate case of a government refusing to listen to its citizens -  not that we should be terribly surprised.