Iceland's lesbian PM declines invitation to meet China's parents of gay children
Busy schedule, says Embassy of Iceland in Beijing
The world's first openly gay prime minister has turned down an invitation from parents of gay children in China to chat over coffee.
Officials at the Embassy of Iceland in Beijing responded to the invitation on Thursday, after reading an open letter posted by a Chongqing mother. Due to her extremely busy schedule, the prime minister would not be able to meet with Chinese activists during this trip, said the embassy.
Icelandic PM Johanna Sigurdardottir, and her wife of 13 years, Jonina Leosdottir, will visit Beijing from Monday to Thursday, Xinhua said, quoting a BBC report.
A Qiang, a worker at PFLAG (Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians and Gays) China, a Guangzhou-based grass-roots group, said it had sent an invitation to associates at embassies and some well-connected journalists.
Though the chance of meeting the couple in person had seemed slim, the visit itself wa seen as encouraging. "Their official visit will be a real-life lesson in equal rights taught to our state leaders," he said. "I am sure our officials are getting prepared now and discussing how to properly receive them."
Many comments were made about the visit on Weibo on Wednesday. "Will the wife be photographed together with Peng Liyuan [President Xi Jinping's wife]?" asked a blogger on Weibo.
"Let them demonstrate to our leaders the real meaning of 'human rights'," said another blog.
