Two students at?a leading Chinese institution who were penalised for giving away rainbow flags on?campus are suing China¡¯s Ministry of?Education, despite the poor odds of?a legal victory.

The Tsinghua University students, identified by?their surnames, Huang and?Li, filed the petition at?a court in?Beijing last month, according to?regional .

The step follows disciplinary action against them in July 2022; two months earlier, the pair had allegedly left rainbow flags on the counter of a campus supermarket. Since then, they have sought ¨C unsuccessfully ¨C to have the decision overturned by the university and by the Ministry of Education, the South China Morning Post .

Their move comes amid an increasingly repressive environment in Chinese universities for gay scholars and students, with researchers reporting a steady increase in pressure on non-conforming scholars leading up to another five-year term for Xi?Jinping as president.

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In February 2021, a Chinese court ruled in favour of a publisher that described homosexuality as a ¡°psychological disorder¡± in a university textbook. That summer, dozens of queer students at prestigious Chinese universities had their social media accounts abruptly closed by the Chinese app WeChat.

Cui Le, a researcher in queer issues in Chinese education, told Times Higher Education that the Tsinghua students¡¯ experience was a case study on the campus environment for LGBTQ+ students in China.

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¡°This case shows that the rainbow flag ¨C the symbol of queer pride and solidarity ¨C has become a target of surveillance and censorship by the university authorities, who are vigilant against any form of student activism. Within such a repressive and homophobic climate, queer students may have to manage their queer identity more cautiously, and it is increasingly dangerous and risky for them to mobilise and organise queer-specific activities,¡± he noted.

He praised the students for taking legal action, despite his lack of optimism about their prospects of a victory in court, given the outcome of previous similar cases.

¡°I see agency and resilience in these students who chose to sue the Ministry of Education even though they are unlikely to win,¡± he said.

pola.lem@timeshighereducation.com