Lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people are the usual personalities seen in gay rights movements.  But in China, unhappily married straight women are becoming an unlikely force fighting for gay rights.

Twenty-nine-year-old Qiu Xuan said her year-long loveless marriage can be explained in one photo taken during her wedding day:  the photo showed her in her beautiful wedding dress and her groom, with the best man standing in between them. 

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Yes, the groom was in love with the best man, not with the bride. 

In China, a woman like Qiu is called a "homowife" or wife of a homosexual. 

In the United States, a homowife is popularly known as a "beard". 

It is a slang term used to describe women who are used knowingly or unknowingly as a romantic partner, to conceal one's sexual orientation.  

Homowives are silently becoming a growing force in pushing for gay rights in China.

They say if men are free to come out as gays and can openly have relationships with the same sex, then bogus marriages like theirs won't have to happen again. 

Qiu clarified there is nothing wrong with being gay. What is not right, she said, was to marry a heterosexual to live a miserable life.

In old times, homosexuality is considered taboo in China, given their rich culture and tradition. 

Homosexuality was decriminalized in 1997, and removed from the list of mental illnesses a few years later. 

Strong opposition to homosexuality in China does not come from political groups nor religious organizations. 

The huge pressure lies within the family who are required to follow the one-child policy.  The male child is burdened by the pressure to carry on the family line. 

Zhang Beichuan, a Chinese scholar who had been studying about sexuality, said there are about 20 million homosexuals in China at marriageable age - and 80% of them will marry a straight woman in response to the pressure. 

The social stigma remains strong that according to a 2013 survey by U.S. research group Pew, only 21% of China's population is willing to accept homosexuality.

Another proof that homosexuality is indeed taboo in China is the so-called "conversion" shock treatment that clinics have been offering to cure homosexuality. 

Groups pushing for gay rights now look to the younger generation as well as the "homowives" for more support. 

People like Qui hope that with more people pushing for change, China will become a better place for the minority and the vulnerable.

TagsLGBT, LGBT rights, fake marriages, homowife, Beard