Li Shiu Tong

Early in the 20th century, Chinese-Canadian sexologist and LGBTQ activist Li Shiu Tong gained notoriety as German sexologist Magnus Hirschfeld's covert partner. Born to affluent Chinese businessman Li Kam-tong in British Hong Kong, Li Shiu Tong grew up in Hong Kong while it was governed by the British. Additionally, he was the great-grandson of Qing leader and reformer Li Hongzhang. He enrolled at St. John's University in Shanghai to study medicine but left after his first year to continue his studies with Magnus Hirschfield, who became his mentor, teacher, and lover.

After Li passed away in 1993, his sexuality-related book was thrown out but was later found by an interested neighbor. This unpublished work was the culmination of decades of investigation into sexuality in many cultures. Compared to Hirschfeld, his findings are more in line with recent studies of LGBTQIA+ persons. Li demonstrated that bisexuality was far more prevalent than Hirschfeld had indicated, and he wrote about the importance and advantages of transgender identity in the human experience. He discovered that gay sexuality was far more prevalent than his forebears had projected, which is in line with the current rises in the percentages of people who identify as LGBTQIA+. In the end, his work was decades ahead of its time.

Detailed information:
Full name: Li Shiu Tong
Date of birth: 9 January 1907
Date of death: 5 October 1993
Known for:

• LGBTQ activist
• The Institute of S. Science in Berlin Book