Korean Job Discussion Forums

[bacasper]

Police force first Mr Gay China pageant to close

By ANITA CHANG, Associated Press Writer � Fri�Jan�15, 12:22�pm�ET

BEIJING � Police shut down what would have been China's first gay pageant on Friday an hour before it was set to begin, highlighting the enduring sensitivity surrounding homosexuality and the struggle by gays to find mainstream acceptance.

Organizers said they were not surprised when eight police officers turned up at the upscale club in central Beijing where the pageant, featuring a fashion show and a host in drag, was set to take place.

"They said the content, meaning homosexuality, there's nothing wrong with that, but you did not do things according to procedures."
Though the pageant did not have any overt political agenda, similar events in the past have been blocked by authorities.

"It totally has to do with moral standards and culture," said contestant Emilio Liu, 26. "If most people can't accept it, then the government won't let it happen."

Zhang hoped the pageant would raise awareness of homosexuals in a country where gays are frequently discriminated against and ostracized. Eight men were competing for the title and a spot in the Worldwide Mr. Gay pageant, to be held next month in Oslo, Norway.

The China pageant had attracted a great deal of press attention and even the normally staid state-run media reported on the sold-out event this week.

"I feel really sad. This was going to be a very good event to show a positive image of gay people," said Wei Xiaogang, pageant judge and host of a popular gay Internet talk show.

"I'm a bit disappointed but I can also relax now. I don't have to be on a diet anymore," Liu joked.

Contestant Simon Wang struck cheeky poses for the cameras, while wearing green trousers and black straps across his bare chest, topped with furry maroon shoulder pads.

Someone had scribbled on the black backdrop behind him: "The revolution has not succeeded, comrades need to work harder." Comrade is the slang term for gays in China.

Organizers still planned to send a China representative to Oslo and will probably ask the pageant judges to choose someone from the contestants, organizer Ryan Dutcher said.

Gay rights in China have come a long way since the years just after the 1949 communist revolution when homosexuality was considered a disease from the decadent West and feudal societies, and gay people were persecuted. Sodomy was decriminalized in 1997, and homosexuality was finally removed from the official list of mental disorders in 2001.

But tellingly, most of the contestants interviewed asked AP to use their English names to better protect their identities. While treatment of gays has improved in recent years, many are still reticent to draw attention to their homosexuality.

full article at link

[NovaKart]

Personally I think pageants are stupid and inane. That said, I would like to see gays become part of mainstream society and accepted.