Mr Gay China Pageant Shut Down By Police

International News, By Christian Taylor, 18th January, 2010

The first Mr Gay China contest, set to take place last Friday in Beijing, was closed down by authorities an hour before it was to start. Event promoters were told that they did not have the appropriate license.

With recent news of a gay wedding in China, and the opening of a government funded gay bar in the tourist town of Dali in southwestern Yunnan province, things were looking up for the Chinese gay community. The pageant had received widespread press both internationally and even in China’s government controlled media, and was being regarded as a sign of China’s growing tolerance of homosexuality.

The pageant was to have an underwear section, a fashion show segment and a Q&A round, with the winner going on to compete in the Worldwide Mr Gay pageant being held in Norway in February.

According to reports from The Australian, this is the third gay event that has been cancelled by authorities in China in the last six months.

“Police said we didn’t have the proper licence,” Ryan Dutcher, one of the event organisers, told AFP. “I’m very disappointed but I can’t say I’m very surprised… [Police] came here just before the event. We didn’t have any advance warning.”

After the event was cancelled the 150 attendees wandered about the venue in confusion, as organisers dismantled their equipment.

Wei Xiaogang, 33, one of the competition judges, told AFP: “In my opinion, it had something to do with the issue of homosexuality. I feel very sad. I almost cried.”

Homosexuality was legalised in China in 1997 and taken off the register of mental illnesses in 2001. While there is a burgeoning gay scene in China’s major cities, it’s still a tough place to be gay. On top of the usual prejudices is China’s one-child policy, which puts extra pressure on children to marry. It is estimated that there are some 30 million gay people living in China, two-thirds of them male.