The Hidn Liv of Gay Men Cha ‹ Lerary Hub

Contents:

• FOR CHA’S GAY MEN, DONGDAN PARK BEIJG OFFERS HAVEN
• 25 BT GAY LIVE CAMS: GAY CAM S TO VIS INCLUDG 100 PERCENT FREE GAY CAMS
• THE HIDN LIV OF GAY MEN CHA
• BEIJG GAY SNAS

FOR CHA’S GAY MEN, DONGDAN PARK BEIJG OFFERS HAVEN

The history of gay bars Shanghai spans a ltle over 20 years. As a member of the first wave of Che people to equent gay bars, I have wnsed their evolutn. The many years of patronage form a special chapter my was around 1995 that Shanghai’s gay male populatn began to “migrate” om parks and public rtrooms across the cy toward bars and clubs.

Before then, plac where men uld meet like-md “ras” — a slang term for gay people — clud a ltle garn on the wt si of Jiangxi Middle Road central Shanghai’s Huangpu District, as well as the roadsi newspaper gallery on nearby Nanjg East Road. Asi om a handful of women whom the bar owner ved as “beards” — ctomers whose prence ncealed the fact that was a gay bar — the overwhelmg majory of s patrons were men. This was perhaps the first gay bar maland this time, a group of relatively well-to-do gay men beme more receptive to the ia of meetg partners private tablishments, as opposed to public cisg spots.

This change mentaly among gay Che men, bed wh the enuragement of queer expats livg Shanghai, ensured that the bar was able to operate whout any fancial difficulti. First, at that time, homosexualy was monly owned upon Che society.

25 BT GAY LIVE CAMS: GAY CAM S TO VIS INCLUDG 100 PERCENT FREE GAY CAMS

Upon learng that their property was beg ed as a gay bar, many landlords would send tenants and patrons packg regardls of whether or not the lease had expired. The send reason was that as an creasg number of rival gay bars opened their doors, proprietors would move elsewhere as soon as their bs began to 1997, the Che ernment abolished the crime of “hooliganism, ” whose loose fn clud homosexual activy. Later, 2001, the Che Society of Psychiatry removed homosexualy om s list of psychiatric disorrs.

The velopments, which are generally viewed as symbolic of the crimalizatn and stigmatizatn of homosexualy Cha, cid wh a shift Shanghae attus toward different sexual 2002, Eddy’s found a stable lotn where would ntue to serve the gay muny for the next 14 years: Huaihai Middle Road, Shanghai’s premier shoppg street.

THE HIDN LIV OF GAY MEN CHA

This reflects chang the environment which gay bars and gay men themselv prevly stggled to though I have equented gay bars ever sce they first arrived on the maland, I don’t rell any particularly unpleasant experienc wh homophobia. One eveng 1998, the owner of a recently opened gay bar and s patrons, myself clud, were taken to the lol police statn.

However, my iend Andy, a -owner of a gay bar found the early 2000s, once told me of a ls fortunate enunter. A group of loyal patrons at the popular bar Asia Blue had put together a set of rmal sks reflectg some of the more amg aspects of gay life.

BEIJG GAY SNAS

Fortunately, owners of gay bars no longer fd themselv the kds of awkward prediments. Begng at the turn of the century, a nstellatn of gay bars opened across Shanghai.

One such bar, Home, troduced a new form of entertament to Shanghai’s gay scene: dancg. Shanghai’s gay bars began to evolve to clubs, addg live DJ sets, dance floors, and themed the same time, beme gradually easier for Che people to travel abroad.

Gay Shanghae who traveled to Southeast Asia or to Wtern natns disvered that Shanghai’s gay nightlife had begun to rival that of other world-class ci. Themed parti anized by gay clubs Shanghai ntue to attract not only the maland’s “ras, ” but also party animals om Hong Kong, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, and even further afield.

Unniably, Cha’s gay clubs have gradually veloped their own culture, a fn of Eastern and Wtern athetics. They have pletely transformed om simple hookup spots to tablishments where sexual mori revel their 2016, Shanghai’s origal gay bar, Eddy’s, shut down, as did the In Club, whose queer dance parti on the weekend were once the lol LGBT muny’s most popular event.