Xiao Che (real name Li Junhong), a transgender influencer with over 3 million followers on China’s Douyin platform, has sparked controversy due to a scene in a live broadcast. Recently, eagle-eyed netizens noticed what appeared to be HIV antiviral medication in the background of his livestream. Since these medications require a doctor’s prescription, the discovery immediately triggered much speculation about the source of the drugs and his health status.
As the incident escalated, Xiao Che promptly responded via a Weibo post, emotionally and emphatically denying the accusations: “There’s truly no bottom line to these rumors. I don’t even know what that stuff is. Is this really necessary?” He stressed that he had no knowledge of the medication. Some fans also came to his defense, arguing that the medication might not belong to him, and did not rule out the possibility that someone intentionally placed it there to maliciously slander him.
However, the controversy did not subside. A document suspected to be Xiao Che’s medical record later surfaced online, indicating he was diagnosed with syphilis in September 2024. Since the inquiry system requires login via mobile phone verification code, and the phone number involved is suspected to be linked to Xiao Che himself, this led to further doubts. In response, relevant authorities have taken note of the possible medical record leak, and China’s Health Commission has also launched an investigation to verify the authenticity of the information and how it was leaked.
To address public concerns, Xiao Che subsequently released an electronic health report showing negative results for a variety of tests, including HIV and syphilis, and stated that he would later provide a paper copy as well. However, this electronic report still drew skepticism from some netizens, who pointed out what they believed to be signs of image editing, data discrepancies, or abnormal color blocks in the report.