Mr Gay Cha brand a 'sensive issue' by officials but event would benef whole untry, say mpaigners
Contents:
- POLICE STOP FIRST-EVER MR. GAY CHA PAGEANT
- BEIJG TO HOST FIRST MR. GAY CHA PAGEANT
- MEET MENG FANYU: THE FIRST MR. GAY CHA
- CHE POLICE SHUT DOWN UNTRY'S FIRST GAY PAGEANT
- CHA CROWNED S FIRST MR GAY
POLICE STOP FIRST-EVER MR. GAY CHA PAGEANT
Jt an hour before the first ever Mr. Gay Cha pageant was schled to beg, the police me to the venue and told anizers that they were not properly licensed to hold this type of event a nightclub. So, they were forced to ncel as the dience and prs looked on. Police often e the "licensg" issue as a reason to prevent what the ernment ems as unlawful monstratns, such as protts. * mr gay china *
Gay Cha pageant was schled to beg, Beijg police me to the nightclub where was schled and told anizers that they were not properly licensed to hold this type of they were forced to ncel as the dience and prs looked on. Gay Cha pageant, which promised to be an entertag event, will not go would have been seen as somethg of a landmark a untry where attus towards homosexualy are still very nservative and beg openly gay is nsired taboo.
"Ten years ago, you uld never image that gay people would be able to get together like this and have a pageant.
"Benjam Zhang is the founr of Gayographic, Beijg's only gay PR and event-management pany, and the anizer of the pageant.
BEIJG TO HOST FIRST MR. GAY CHA PAGEANT
Featurg a fashn show and a host drag, Mr. Gay Cha, set for Friday night Beijg, is the untry's first gay pageant, markg another step toward greater awarens of homosexuals a untry where gays are equently discrimated agast. * mr gay china *
He said he wanted to draw people's attentn to the thrivg gay muny Cha, but he had no ia how much attentn the event would draw. This is makg a huge impact the public perceptn of the gay muny and I hope that will be posive.
"It is possible that the media verage alerted police to the event and led to the Pageant Conttants Still Not Out to Their FaiAt least two of the six falists tonight's petn have yet to e out to their fai, a telltale sign of the stigma still attached to homosexualy a untry where gay sex was illegal until 1997 and homosexualy was classed as a mental illns until Fei is a 32-year-old rtrant manager om Hunan provce.
My sister is the only one my fay who knows I am gay, " he told ABC News, "My father passed away and my mother is old so I don't want to worry her. "In recent years there has been an enormo expansn of gay activism Cha.
MEET MENG FANYU: THE FIRST MR. GAY CHA
* mr gay china *
Last summer Shanghai held the first ever Gay Pri week and Beijg, there are now vol mpaigners for same-sex marriag. Earlier this month a gay Che uple, Zeng Anquan and Pan Wenjie, celebrated their "weddg" at a bar Chengdu, the first such public event the untry. But same-sex marriag are not regnized Cha and acrdg to lol reports, some fay and iends of the uple shunned the young gay men growg up ral areas, like Jt, the journey of self-disvery n be long and slow.
"Actually I was born gay but I never realized bee you thk you're the same as all your iends and actually you're not.
I said wow, there are gay webs. Gay Cha Pageant Stopped by PoliceXue says he hop the petn will show people a healthy image of the gay muny and send a posive msage to young gays Cha who are grapplg wh their sexualy. "I want them to know that beg gay is not a problem.
CHE POLICE SHUT DOWN UNTRY'S FIRST GAY PAGEANT
Gay Cha pageant is g up and nttant David Wu is a b 's not the unrwear petn that's makg him jtery — he's been workg out harr than ual to get ready. And he's lookg forward to the opportuny to meet other "ras, " as gay men Cha are one thg troubl the handsome 30-year-old: His parents don't know he's gay.
Gay Cha, set for Friday night the pal cy of Beijg, is the untry's first gay pageant, markg another step toward greater awarens of homosexuals a untry where gays are equently discrimated agast and ostracized.
Gay pageant, to be held next month Oslo, Norway. Organizer Ben Zhang said the ma purpose of the pageant was to help people realize that there is a thrivg gay muny Cha.
CHA CROWNED S FIRST MR GAY
"Makg strisGay rights Cha have e a long way sce the years jt after the 1949 munist revolutn when homosexualy was nsired a disease om the nt Wt and fdal societi, and gay people were persecuted.
Sodomy was crimalized 1997, and homosexualy was fally removed om the official list of mental disorrs tellgly, all the nttants terviewed asked The Associated Prs to e their English nam stead of Che nam, to better protect their inti at home. While treatment of gays has improved recent years, many are still reticent to draw attentn to their homosexualy, particularly the workplace.
"Right now, society don't unrstand bee they don't know about gays. Once they know more about me, then they will unrstand me, " said Andrew Muyi, 25, a nttant om the Xjiang regn far wtern is officially atheistic, and whout relig reasons for opposg homosexualy, attus are slowly shiftg among cy dwellers om one of tolerance to difference. Gays livg big ci, like nearly all the men participatg the pageant, say their biggt challenge is alg wh parents and eply graed expectatns for them to get married and have children.