The 18-year-old activist who organized
a Gay Pride march in Changsha, China has been detained by police.
According to the
AP, the teen, identified only by his surname Xiang, was taken
into custody following Friday's protest. He has been ordered to
serve 12 days in a detention center.
Officials have charged the teen with
organizing an illegal march. Street demonstrations in China require
a permit, but few are allowed to proceed.
Roughly 80 activists joined in the
march, carrying a giant rainbow flag in support of the International
Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) along a riverfront
park. IDAHO marks the 1990 date homosexuality was removed from the
World Health Organization's (WHO) International Classifications of
Diseases.
On the group's website, rt1069.com, the
organizers stated their hope that the protest would “write a new
chapter in the struggle for equal rights for [gay] comrades.”