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SHANGHAI: When 31-year-old Xiao Gong chats in a coffee shop with his girlfriend about their future wedding, anyone overhearing them would think they were a love-struck couple.

Truth be told, the marriage is just for appearances - Xiao Gong is gay and his "girlfriend" is a lesbian - and both want to keep their parents happy without coming out of the closet.

In big cities like Shanghai and Beijing, this form of marriage for appearance is becoming trendy in the gay and lesbian community.

"For most gay men and lesbians in China, one of their biggest obstacles is parental pressure to get married," said Xiao Gong, who works in an international airline company and refuses to give his full name.

"I started to think about it two or three years ago when my parents began asking about my personal affairs more frequently," he said.

According to a recent survey on douban.com, over 86 percent of the more than 300 homosexuals surveyed are thinking about fake marriage.

"We'll appear to be husband and wife to the outside world," Xiao Gong told China Daily. "In fact we are close friends. It's just a white lie to comfort our parents and other social groups. We don't want to show our true identities."

（英语点津 Helen 编辑）

About the broadcaster:

Chantal Anderson is a multimedia journalist at the China Daily Web site. Originally from Seattle, Washington she has found her way around the world doing photo essays in Greece, Mexico and Thailand. She is currently completing a double degree in Journalism and International Studies from the University of Washington.