Chinese activist Zheng Churan: 'Hey Trump, feminists are watching you"
15 December 2016
One of China's most prominent women's rights activists has written a letter warning US President-elect Donald Trump against "sexist behaviour". Zheng Churan says "feminists around the world are watching" Mr Trump for signs of "straight man cancer". The Chinese term refers to sexual discrimination and male chauvinism. She was among five women dubbed the "Feminist Five", who were detained by Chinese authorities last year for their activism. Ms Zheng said she wanted to point out Mr Trump's "sexual discrimination" in her open letter as she found that in China "the general opinion from society is that they don't think it's a big deal". Ms Zheng believes there has not been enough outrage in China about aspects of Mr Trump's behaviour towards women. "They say Trump is a crazy man, but he is better than Hillary Clinton who is a cheater," she told the BBC. "(They think) feminism and gender equality should make a concession for a country's development. I think it is very horrible, and it is wrong." Ms Zheng said she was worried Mr Trump would crack down on US women's rights activists, mirroring the clampdown she herself has faced in recent years in China. "My real goal is to make people who support Trump's behaviour to realise that even feminists in... China are all concerned about it, and we aspire to fight back instead of just sitting there." In her letter, which she posted to Mr Trump on Monday as well as posted online (in Chinese), Ms Zheng says: "We are far away in China, but we have seen reports of your sexist behaviour. "Gender equality is a global issue and the feminist movement will not stop just because of 'straight man cancer'. "If those with 'straight man cancer' carelessly insult, discriminate, or are violent towards women, they will be made to pay a price for their actions and words. "We hope you know that feminists around the world are watching you." Ms Zheng also encloses a list of top "straight man cancer" types of behaviour, culled from a poll she conducted online with more than 10,000 respondents. They include "using double standards" to judge women and "underestimating women's creativity and scientific knowledge". The 27-year-old is known for her vocal activism on a range of women's rights issues in China. One of the BBC's 100 Women this year, one of her latest campaigns is for companies to offer every woman menstrual leave. She and four other women activists were detained in the run-up to International Women's Day in China last year. They were eventually let go several weeks later after calls for their release by the UK's Foreign Office, the EU and the US ambassador to the UN Samantha Power.
The 27-year-old is known for her vocal activism on a range of women's rights issues in China. One of the BBC's 100 Women this year, one of her latest campaigns is for companies to offer every woman menstrual leave. She and four other women activists were detained in the run-up to International Women's Day in China last year. They were eventually let go several weeks later after calls for their release by the UK's Foreign Office, the EU and the US ambassador to the UN Samantha Power.
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Who is Zheng Churan?