<i>Being Side or Doing Side</i> : Constructing “Side” Identity Among <i>Tongzhi</i> in China

Although binary sex roles dominate gay dating platforms in China, the identity construction processes underlying non-insertive sexual preferences, such as identifying as “side,” remain underexplored. Guided by Sexual Script Theory (SST), this study explored the identity landscape and enacted practices of “side” among tongzhi (men romantically and sexually attracted to men) within Chinese contexts. Using virtual ethnographic observation and semi-structured interviews with 21 tongzhi who identified as “side,” findings from narrative analysis indicated that “side” is not a fixed label, but a discursive and practical resource dynamically reconstructed across three levels. At the intrapsychic (bodily experience) and interpersonal levels (intimate relationship), tongzhi rewrote inner scripts, developing a being side identity, to mitigate embodied dissonance, while co-constructing interpersonal scripts through a fluid doing side strategy to renegotiate relational dynamics. At the cultural scenario level, digital platform infrastructures institutionalize insertive hegemony, compelling individuals to navigate tensions between exclusion and visibility. This study extends SST by demonstrating that “side” is not merely a behavioral preference, but a survival strategy through which tongzhi rework intimacy under patriarchal stigma and digital platform constraints in China. These findings call for public health interventions to address the fluid, negotiated nature of sexual identity in the digital era.