China’s transgender sex workers suffer intense social ostracism, economic marginalisation

Many transgenders in China live hidden lives far from their families.

XIA YU has not visited her family in years, afraid that they would be ashamed of her identity. Yang Zhou stopped taking the subway to avoid the stares of strangers. Xiao Tong was once beaten by police. “They asked really perverted questions, like how do you have sex,” she said. “I turned around and asked, do you want to try? Then he kicked me, really, he kicked me.”