China celebrates first-ever gay pride festival

June 14, 6:35 PMInternational LGBT Issues ExaminerKelvin Lynch

Previous Next

1 comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the International LGBT Issues Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

        Remembering Tiananmen Square/Photo: AP

Shanghai was host to China's first-ever gay pride festival, a sign that the social conservatism that has dominated the country for decades may be losing its grip, according to Reuters.

China Daily, the official Chinese state media, hailed the event as having "profound significance for tolerance and social progress" and said it was a "good showcase of the country's social progress alongside three decades of economic boom,"

"I don't think China is very conservative now. Shanghai is developing very fast and it's becoming more and more international," said Amy Lin, a 17-year-old from Taiwan.

Hundreds of men and women showed up for the festival, which featured no parade but included a barbeque, cocktails, a "hot body" contest, and traditional Chinese dance performances by drag artists flashing fans and feathers

However, organizing the 8-day festival wasn't easy.  The AP reported that this past week, police in Shanghai warned clubs and bars against joining the planned festival.  Police and commercial bureau officials warned a local restaurant of “very severe” consequences if it screened films as part of the festival, forcing their cancellation.  However, the China Daily newspaper said the cancellations may have had more to do with the films' content and China's rules on public advertisements than the fact they were associated with a gay festival.

Paul Midler wrote that the festival wasn't necessarily a sign that China has become less oppressive:

"China has long been a place where gays and lesbians could feel comfortable, though this is not to say that they have enjoyed a true sense of community. In China, there is less stigma attached with alternative lifestyles, in part because Chinese subscribe to a philosophy of live and let live."

Midler said the festival was organized mainly by English-speaking foreigners in China, and they "were present in disproportionate numbers" compared to Chinese.

China Daily estimates there are 30 million homosexuals in China, which seems like a lot, but represents only about 3% of the populution in an a country of over one billion people. 

It's difficult to say why more of those 30 million did not to attend the Shanghai festival - fear of the police or being ostracized in their communities, difficulty traveling from other parts of the country, or just plain apathy.  Or maybe they didn't feel there was a real need for it, since they are already largely accepted as part of the larger culture. 

Whatever the reason, it's encouraging to see China emerge as a country where visibility of gays and lesbians is seen as more important.

Scroll down to leave comments.