Assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) have predominantly converted into routines in China, despite legal restrictions that permit their use solely by heterosexual couples. This is largely due to the medicalized marketization of ARTs, which has led to their adoption as a common choice and a secretive practice among homosexual companions. Although it has received less attention regarding issues faced by lesbians in China specifically. This paper takes the Sina Weibo account Baihe Tucao Jun, an active domestic lesbian digital community, as the central case. Through thematic analysis and critical discourse analysis of related public discussions within this account, this paper examines the opinions of the Chinese lesbian community on assisted reproduction. The findings indicate that the strategic use of ARTs confer power upon Chinese lesbians who wish to have children, challenging the dominant heterosexual matrix. Women’s physiological structure also grants them greater autonomy in choosing ARTs, which not only provides them with opportunities to parent but also serves as a form of women’s empowerment. However, it is acknowledged that lesbians facing dual marginal identities as both sexual minorities and women encounter complexity and high levels of uncertainty when considering parenthood within a heterosexual-patriarchal society. The study posits that examining the issues of reproduction can illuminate the vast range of life experiences among lesbians, revealing that the pursuit of gender equality is not without its challenges. It underscores the need for transformative changes in national laws, social ideologies, cultural norms, and interpersonal resources, knowledge, and emotional gaps.

Jinyi Zhang. Give Birth to “the Fruit of Love” in a Hetero-Patriarchy Society? : A Critical Discourse Analysis of Weibo Discussions on Assisted Reproduction among Chinese Lesbian Couples. Academic Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences (2024) Vol. 7, Issue 8: 136-143. https://doi.org/10.25236/AJHSS.2024.070822.

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