A CONTEMPORARY Chinese dancer says she has been removed as a judge on a television talent show despite objections from the show’s producers. She believes it is because she is a transsexual.
Shanghai-based retired dancer Jin Xing announced on her microblog that she had received the news in a telephone call this week from the director of the singing show, which is made by a television station in Zhejiang province.
“He told me that the reason for my removal, according to the regulator’s letter, is because I am transsexual, which will have negative effects on society,” said Jin, once a colonel in a People’s Liberation Army dance troupe.
She said the directors of the programme strongly opposed the decision to remove her, but were helpless upon receiving an official order from the national broadcasting regulator.
“I’ve received around 50,000 messages that have given me a lot of encouragement and comfort, so I think there is a sense of righteousness in society and the people’s eyes are enlightened,” said Jin, whose name literally means “gold star”.
Xinhua news agency denied that Jin had been removed because she was a transsexual, saying that the decision was made by the station itself. – (Reuters)