 | My girlfriend Maizi was arrested with four friends in China for preparing a peaceful pro-equality protest. They could be jailed for up to 5 years. Alone I won't be heard. Join the global outcry to help free Maizi and #FreeTheFive:  | |
Dear friends,
I need your help. My girlfriend, Maizi, was arrested and thrown in detention. She could face up to 5 years in prison. Why? Because she made stickers for equality.
My name is Xiao La, and I live in China. Two weeks ago, Maizi was organizing a peaceful protest with four friends to denounce harassment at work. They were making pro-equality stickers and planning to hand them out. And just for that, Chinese authorities put my girlfriend in jail.
My birthday is tomorrow. Maizi and I had planned to spend the day together doing romantic things. My birthday wish is to have Maizi back. Alone, I won't be heard. But if thousands around the world join us, the global outcry could get her out of jail.
Maizi and I were taken by the police together, but I was freed the following day. Authorities can now hold her for up to 37 days before deciding whether to even charge her. The authorities confiscated her computer and her phone. The worst part? It happened the night before International Women’s Day.
Last month president Xi Jinping stated openly that China would uphold gender equality as one of its basic national policies. China is a signatory to the Beijing Declaration which states that “the human rights of women are an integral part of universal human rights.”
But now the Chinese government thinks it can get away with arresting my girlfriend for no reason. I’ve been fighting with my friends to get Maizi out, but alone we won’t be heard. Only a huge outcry could draw international attention to this terrible act and push Chinese authorities to stick to their promise.
One of Maizi’s friends is called Ting Ting – she was also thrown in jail. Last year, Ting Ting supported All Out's campaign to stop China's anti-gay ‘cures.’ Xiao Zhen, a young man in China was suing a clinic that had tried to ‘cure’ him from being gay. 100,000 of us signed a petition asking the head of the World Health Organization to speak out against these anti-gay ‘treatments’. Following this outcry, the WHO in China agreed to meet with Xiao Zhen, and better yet, Xiao Zhen won his case against the clinic. But none of this could have happened without Ting Ting’s help.
Thanks for making my birthday wish come true,
Xiao La and the All Out team.
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