Happy Chinese New Year 2021!
The Scituate - Shanghai connection.
Happy Chinese New Year to everyone on February 12th, 2021! It is also known as the Spring Festival, and it is one of the largest and most important holidays in China and around the world.
I was fortunate to work for a large software company that sent me to work within our Shanghai, China office for a few weeks back in 2013. I quickly made fast friends with many of my teammates, and I started to realize we had a lot in common. One particular Chinese teammate had a lot of questions about my “roommate.” He had been to our Waltham, Massachusetts office and he had seen a large picture of me and my husband Angelo on my desk at work. I had been told by my USA coworkers to be a bit reserved about being gay while in China since the country was much more conservative than the USA. Well, I guess I wasn’t very good about being reserved, because Ryan quickly realized that the man in the picture was not just my roommate. 😊
Ryan opened up to me and said that he was also gay. I met his partner, Clavin, the next day. Ryan and Clavin showed me all around Shanghai and introduced me to a wonderful group of their close gay friends. It was one of the best experiences I’ve had in my life, and it just shows how alike we all are no matter where we are from. So, that taught me NEVER to be shy about who you really are!
Wedding photo of Ryan and Clavin in Los Angeles, California (Yanghai & Tao)
A Happy Chinese New Year from Shanghai to Scituate!
Ryan at Scituate Harbor
Ryan visits the most AMAZING location!
We’ve remained strong friends and Ryan visited Scituate on another work trip he had to the USA the following year. He was very impressed with our beautiful seaside town!
The next year, Ryan and Clavin came to Los Angeles to get married! I was so thrilled. Here is a report from 2015:
“On June 9, local time, Los Angeles, California, USA, seven pairs of LGBT couples from China held a collective wedding at the West Hollywood Public Library under the auspices of the Mayor of Los Angeles. The entire event was funded by a Chinese Internet giant.
After the wedding of these seven couples, they will visit Los Angeles, apply for marriage certificates, and participate in a series of themed activities held by the Los Angeles Gay Center to experience the life of the LGBT community in the United States.”
Ryan and Clavin have continued to be active in promoting LGBT issues in China. I’m so proud and honored to call them good friends and now honorary members of Scituate Pride!