Dr. Runze Ding joins the DNC hosts this week to talk about his studies on gay identity in China, the gay porn industry, and his experiences working with local gay organizations in Guangzhou and Beijing.
Dr. Runze has completed case studies on topics such as Chinese semi-professionally produced gay porn, the Uses and Gratifications of Blued (the gay dating app) in Mainland China, and queer male “sex influencers” on Twitter, to name a few. It was fascinating to talk to him and learn more about these taboo topics and how he has interviewed people for his studies.
About Dr. Runze:
As an emerging social scholar, Dr Runze Ding graduated with a Ph.D. in Media and Communication Studies at the University of Leeds. His research contributes original evidence and analysis to related fields such as LGBT studies, digital media research, cultural studies in the Chinese context, and more broadly, sociological and ethnographic approaches to media and identity. He is also one of the first researchers who has studied Chinese gay porn and sexual culture.