Chengdu: Cha's permissive 'gay pal' refg to fold - France 24

Contents:

• CHENGDU, CHA’S ‘GAY CAPAL’ IS NOT GIVG IN
• IN PICTUR: CHENGDU – CHA’S PERMISSIVE ‘GAY PAL’ REFG TO FOLD
• CHENGDU: CHA'S PERMISSIVE 'GAY PAL' REFG TO FOLD
• CHENGDU: CHA’S ‘GAY PAL’ REF TO FOLD
• CHENGDU: CHA’S PERMISSIVE ‘GAY CAPAL’ REFG TO FOLD
• CHENGDU UNRELENTG CHA'S CLAMP DOWN ON GAY BARS
• CHENGDU GAY SNAS
• HUNK SKYCHENGDUMENUHOTELSBARS & CLUBSSNASCY GUIGAY MAPHUNK SKY
• BLUE RA AND CLOUD BATHCHENGDUMENUHOTELSBARS & CLUBSSNASCY GUIGAY MAPBLUE RA AND CLOUD BATH
• CHENGDU: CHA’S PERMISSIVE ‘GAY PAL’ REFG TO FOLD
• CHENGDU UNRELENTG CHA'S CLAMP DOWN ON GAY BARS
• CHA’S LGBT COMMUNI: EXPLORG THE CHE “GAY CY”
• EXPLORE GAY ROOMS & RENTALS CHENGDU

CHENGDU, CHA’S ‘GAY CAPAL’ IS NOT GIVG IN

Wei Lai is an openly gay profsor at a lol mic llege who was born and brought up Chengdu. “Everybody Cha knows that Chengdu is a very famo gay cy. It’s much easier to be gay here than Shanghai or Beijg.

Gay men n hold hands and no one r, ” he says.

: What happens Chengdu, stays Cha crimalized homosexualy 1997, and removed om an official list of mental disorrs four years later, taboos still persist, pecially more ral areas. ”The social scene many high profile LGBTQ+-iendly ci tend to skew male, and Chengdu there are certaly gay-foced venu—take nightclub Max, and the Thursday’s weekly Pri party at Unrground bar, n by openly gay English expat Gary Daniels.

IN PICTUR: CHENGDU – CHA’S PERMISSIVE ‘GAY PAL’ REFG TO FOLD

Though not openly gay, onle chatter about her viss to lbian bars and her var girliends was wispread.

“But Chengdu seems to have s own way of advotg for gays and lbians that is totally, thentilly Che.

CHENGDU: CHA'S PERMISSIVE 'GAY PAL' REFG TO FOLD

Chengdu, Cha’s ‘gay pal’, is ntug s openns toward the LGBTQIA+ muny spe creasg steps by Beijg to curb , The Japan Tim reports.

The cy, which is loted south-wtern Cha, has built up a reputatn for welg the LGBTQIA+ muny wh gay bars and snas.

Called “Gaydu” by Che lennials, the cy has long cherished s reputatn as a safe haven for a muny that fac stigma and wispread harassment elsewhere the untry.

CHENGDU: CHA’S ‘GAY PAL’ REF TO FOLD

Concern began October when a gay club and sna, the MC Club, was closed after explic photos were posted onle and lol media reported HIV fectns had occurred at a sex party held there.

Major gay bars across the cy were temporarily shut unr the guise of a public health crisis. As late as 2001, beg gay was classified as a mental illns. Its “anythg-go” reputatn is well-known across the gay muny the cy of 16 ln.

Chengdu is famo for three thgs: pandas, spicy hot pot, and a gay old time. The pal of Sichuan provce southwt Cha has garnered such a reputatn for s LGBT scene that some even ll “gaydu. “It’s a ltle awkward to be hont, bee to earn that tle, [Chengdu] needs to have real cultural ntent, but actually ’s not like that, ” says Matthew Huang, a 24-year-old gay man who -found LGBTI anizatn Milks Friends, also known as Mr.

CHENGDU: CHA’S PERMISSIVE ‘GAY CAPAL’ REFG TO FOLD

In recent months, Cha has seen legal actn across a broad swath of the LGBT muny, as people, for example, fight for gay marriage rights or oppose discrimatn agast transgenr people. Neon letters that spell out “fgerg” and “semen” English light up the bouncg dance floor at Max, a gay bar Chengdu’s Dongmen Daqiao area, the cy’s facto gayborhood.

CHENGDU UNRELENTG CHA'S CLAMP DOWN ON GAY BARS

As far as Cha go, ’s not a bad place to be gay, says Yu Fei, the chief operatns officer for Tongle, a Chengdu-based nonernmental anizatn that’s been nng sce 2002, wh a foc on gay men’s health and social well-beg.

CHENGDU GAY SNAS

“It’s much better here pared to the north, where people have more nservative attus and tradnal fay stctur; they’re ls able to accept homosexualy, ” Yu, 35, tells Sixth Tone. ” But Chengdu’s reputatn as a gay pal only me about the digal age, Yu says. There was very seldom talk of gay issu, ” he remembers.

HUNK SKYCHENGDUMENUHOTELSBARS & CLUBSSNASCY GUIGAY MAPHUNK SKY

More than 300 people om all over Cha gathered to hear speakers give TED-style prentatns on topics like genr-fluid inty, rethkg sex tn, agg as a gay man, and asexualy.

In June, a urt Beijg accepted a lawsu by a lbian universy stunt agast Cha’s tn mistry for s failure to take actn agast homophobia universy textbooks. To Yu Shi, the cy’s reputatn as a gay pal is a misnomer that beli the progrs that the LGBT muny still needs to achieve.

BLUE RA AND CLOUD BATHCHENGDUMENUHOTELSBARS & CLUBSSNASCY GUIGAY MAPBLUE RA AND CLOUD BATH

” (Hear image: A newly married uple toasts weddg guts at a gay bar Chengdu, Sichuan provce, Jan. They wear kimonos, an apparent tactil promise wh new moraly s creepg to Cha’s “gay pal”. Far om the admistrative glare of Beijg, the smopolan southwtern cy, dubbed “Gaydu” by Che lennials, has long cherished s reputatn as a safe haven for a muny that fac stigma and wispread harassment elsewhere the untry.

Closed gay sna MC Club Chengdu, the pal of southwt Sichuan provce.

Some the gay muny say a spike the number of domtic LGBTQ visors — unable to travel overseas bee of the ronavis panmic — drew unwanted attentn om cy thori. Major gay bars the cy were temporarily shut down, ostensibly to ntrol a public health crisis.

CHENGDU: CHA’S PERMISSIVE ‘GAY PAL’ REFG TO FOLD

Cha’s LGBTQ populatn still enunters discrimatn and lacks legal safeguards a untry that as recently as 2001 still classified beg gay as a mental illns. Gay marriage is still not legally regnised, spe mountg lls to troduce , pecially among the younger generatns. Print Xi Jpg has overseen a drive agast anythg nsired anthetil to Communist Party valu — leavg ltle room for gay pri.

They say the cy’s gay-iendly ambience riv om s eclectic mix of ethnic mori and cultur — as well as s handy distance om Beijg and the strictur of mastream Cha.

CHENGDU UNRELENTG CHA'S CLAMP DOWN ON GAY BARS

Its anythg-go reputatn is folkloric across the gay muny the cy of 16 ln. One gay man told AFP he received a sexual massage a sna at the premis and had prevly attend a party the dark where no cloth were allowed. Cha’s first wily reported gay marriage took place Chengdu 2010 — a symbolic ceremony between two men as same-sex unns still have no legal basis.

Gay bars ntacted by AFP refed on-the-rerd terviews and most terviewe cled to be intified. But “everyone Chengdu knows I’m gay — my boss, some of my stunt’s parents, all of my iends”.

Gay bar HUNK Chengdu. So n there be a gay mec Cha? In recent months, Cha has seen legal actn across a broad swath of the LGBT muny, as people, for example, fight for gay marriage rights or oppose discrimatn agast transgenr people.

CHA’S LGBT COMMUNI: EXPLORG THE CHE “GAY CY”

As far as Cha go, is not a bad place to be gay, says Yu Fei, the chief operatns officer for Tongle, a Chengdu-based nonernmental anizatn that has been nng sce 2002, wh a foc on gay men’s health and social well-beg.

EXPLORE GAY ROOMS & RENTALS CHENGDU

For more on Chengdu, head over to for their full report where they elaborate on the mographics of the cy, more of s clive history, how is quick to embrace differenc, how beg onle has helped the cy bee more clive, and how e cizens believe the gay mec honor may be given prematurely sce there is so much more growth to go. They wear kimonos, an apparent tactil promise wh new moraly s creepg to Cha's "gay pal" across town, young women still lounge on leather sofas drkg beer at a lbian club, while a nearby bar is hostg an LGBTQ board game om the admistrative glare of Beijg, the smopolan southwtern cy, dubbed "Gaydu" by Che lennials, has long cherished s reputatn as a safe haven for a muny that fac stigma and wispread harassment elsewhere the activists now say the cy's permissive streak is unr threat, as the central Communist learship puts the squeeze on the few bastns of sexual eedom across the Chengdu's rilient LGBTQ muny is not ready to be forced to the closet. "There is some tac acceptance by the thori, but is very lite, " said Matthew, an activist om the NGO Chengdu Rabow, who requted e of his first name recipe for survival, Matthew says, is "makg small progrs" rather than big polil and social statements that rattle Cha's hyper-sensive mood Chengdu started to sour October when the MC Club was closed after explic photos were posted onle and lol media reported that HIV fectns had been lked to sex parti allegedly takg place at the venue's the gay muny say a spike the number of domtic LGBTQ visors -- unable to travel overseas bee of the ronavis panmic -- drew unwanted attentn om cy thori.

Major gay bars the cy were temporarily shut down, ostensibly to ntrol a public health, an activist told AFP, all of the cy's LGBTQ anisatns were sudnly vtigated. - Stolen pri -Cha's LGBTQ populatn still enunters discrimatn and lacks legal safeguards a untry that as recently as 2001 still classified beg gay as a mental marriage is still not legally regnised, spe mountg lls to troduce , pecially among the younger major obstacl block their progrs. Print Xi Jpg has overseen a drive agast anythg nsired anthetil to Communist Party valu -- leavg ltle room for gay pri.