For a Chinese audience, the Paris Olympics opening ceremony Friday offered a rare glimpse of LGBTQ representation — and a chance to air grievances against state media censorship.
Broadcasters for CCTV appeared too stunned to speak during a drag performance and another involving men kissing. Afterward, the topics “CCTV is silent” and “drag queens” trended on Chinese social media platform Weibo for a full day alongside video clips of the live broadcast from Paris.
Some users lamented missing the broadcast, which aired during the night in China, while others praised the Olympics for the display of diversity. “It was a beautiful night to stay up for,” wrote one Weibo user.
