We have seen many LGBT startups in China in the past years, such as Blued, Lesdo, and The L. While these apps connect same-sex homosexuals, one startup set out to connect different sex homosexuals to solve their real problem. iHomo, a Beijing-based startup is now helping out LGBT community to find a beard to ward off increasing pressure from family members.

“Marriage and having children all seems to be taken for granted in China. My parents are no exception,” CEO and founder of iHomo, Xiaobai Ou told TechNode. “They began to urge me to get married. In order to appease my family, I chose xinghun (形婚, marriage of convenience or lavender marriage in English). We had a wedding ceremony in 2012, which was fairly smooth. My girlfriend was my bridesmaid and make-up artist at the wedding.”

In their first year of marriage, they needed to move to each other’s home. Later, they didn’t have to do that so frequently. “My husband is now a good friend of mine, and we go out together to eat and chat. When things come up, we help each other,” Xiaobai said.

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