There is a new wave of enlightenment sweeping over China’s thriving metropolis Shanghai, down in a shabby well used down at the heel hall in a predominately working class neighbourhood, a few men slow dance together, an unusual site, according to AFP.
Every weekend evening, men of all ages pay seven yuan, the equivalent of a buck, to dance and be themselves, which is no small feat in China, where gay people still face crushing social and family pressure. ”If you’re gay and people find out in my hometown, everything is over,” said Leon, a 28-year-old tour guide from the eastern province of Anhui who has lived in Shanghai for 10 years, like many, he is married but also has a boyfriend on the side. ”But in Shanghai, there are a lot of people like us and places like this, it’s a good city for us.”
Homosexuality has long been a sensitive issue and hot topic in China, it was officially considered a mental disorder until 2001, however experts say there has been marked improvement. ”In the past, even in the early 2000s, gay bars in normal cities would often be subject to police interference,” reports Zhang Beichuan, a Qingdao University professor and an expert on homosexuality. ”Now the situation has changed. One can do lots of things more openly.”
Shanghai is considered by some as the main ‘gay capital’ of China, a bit like a very very early San Francisco in America or Brighton in England. The Chinese city boasts trendy bars, clubs and even sport teams such as swimming and volleyball squads exclusively for gay people. The city also discreetly hosted the nation’s first gay pride festival last June, a major step forward. Although authorities cancelled some events, they allowed most to go ahead.
Other cities in China are also slowly opening up, a government backed gay bar opened in December in Dali, which is a reasonable sized tourist town in the south western province of Yunnan.
Experts estimate there could be around 30 million gays and lesbians living in China, which would only be around 2.3% of the population. Although, that number could be just the tip of the iceberg, tradition, pressure and homophobia all play a part in keeping gays and lesbians in the closet in the communist country.
Experts say the Chinese people’s acceptance of homosexuality has increased thanks to the work done by non governmental organisations, the media, some schools and the Internet to raise awareness and understanding. Although, many are still unable to accept it, particularly in smaller cities and in the countryside. ”The main reason lies in the fact that China really cares about continuing the ancestral line,” said sexologist Li Yinhe, noting the impact of the country’s one-child policy. ”If you don’t procreate, then the family will have no descendants. In China, the term ‘juehu’ (without descendants) is actually a swear word.”
Acknowledging this concern AFP reports, some gays and lesbians in China are marrying each other to satisfy their parents’ demands. Indeed, one Shanghai bar even hosts special ’matchmaking’ sessions for gays and lesbians to meet with a view to tying the knot, said Kenneth Tan, spokesman for Shanghai LGBT.
And while China is mainly devoid of any religious influence that could lead to anti-gay discrimination, homosexuality is still not entirely accepted politically. In January, police cancelled the nation’s first Mr Gay China beauty pageant in Beijing after it had attracted weeks of coverage both in foreign and domestic media, as we reported here on GayAgenda.com
Sexual health is also a big issue, the Chinese government has invested heavily in AIDS prevention work, especially in the gay community, but they add that anti discrimination laws are sorely lacking.
“We are concerned with the gays born in the 1970s and 80s, who were forced to marry straight women or are going to marry them,” said Simon Tang of the Chi Heng Foundation, an AIDS prevention charity. ”They are sexually active and thus a much more dangerous group to transmit HIV/AIDS to their wives.”
The tide is turning, slowly more rights, laws and protections will afforded to the gays and lesbians of China, times are changing, whilst for some it may seem slow, however look how far they’ve come in a relatively short space of time. Remember, homosexuality was a mental illness less than a decade ago, to have a thriving, bustling gay scene in Shanghai is an amazing advancement.
Jason Shaw, Brighton, England.
GayAgenda.com’s UK Correspondent.
Jason’s personal blog is The Seafront Diaries, tales from Brighton, insular yet keeping an eye on the outside world! A bush without a leaf a rebel without a cause.!
© 2010 Copyright Jason Shaw
Racial tension from within the gay community? You wouldn’t think it possible, but according to a group of gay Asian males from the UK’s Yorksire area it.s a big and growing problem. Some say that they regularly face both verbal abuse and intimidation. “Racism is alive and well but its far worse in Yorkshire than in cities like London and Manchester” Asif told the BBC in a special report for the BBC’s Asian network.
“Being gay and Asian means we suffer from many more problems than other gay men do and it takes great courage for us to go out on the scene and mix in public” fellow Yorkshire Asian Arshad said.
They claim the problems, racism and abuse that some of them have had in the northern gay scene means they have been force to stay home, fearing for their own safety. Or suffer in silence – until now.
Naz from Wakefield explained that when he goes out on to the gay scene in Leeds and Bradford he always sees or suffers from racial abuse. ”I have a fear now when I go out that there will be racism directed towards me and my friends,” he told BBC Asian Network. ”It makes us feel very insecure and I don’t think its worth going out because of the problems we face.”
Ali from Bradford is a regular on the gay scene in the North of England, he goes out every week and tries to ignore the insults but says, inevitably, the racism does get to him.”If I go out then I don’t like to go on my own,” he said. “I always go with friends We get looked at in a funny way. We don’t get served in bars unless we protest and we get called Paki or have to deal with comments like ‘here come the suicide bombers’.”
Both Ali and Naz go to get help and advice from a group called ABC in Bradford who provide a support network for Asian and black gay men in West Yorkshire.
Arshad Khan runs the group and he said: “Being gay and Asian means we suffer from many more problems than other gay men do and it takes great courage for us to go out on the scene and mix in public. Why should we always get stopped going in to a bar or club and searched? We even get asked to take our trousers down to see if we are carrying any weapons”
For more on the plight of the gay British Asian community, visit the BBC or Naz Project websites.
Jason Shaw, Brighton, England.
gayagenda.com’s United Kingdom Correspondent.
Jason’s own blog comes from the heart, the tales of gay life, fighting the grey, loosing weight, finding love, mourning apartments and other assorted ramblings is on The Seafront Diaries.
Adam, can’t spell it, but likes it anyway!
I’m gay, so says the senator, whom is a well known opponent to gay rights, who has fought hard to keep equal rights from gay people. Roy Ashburn, the republican Californian senator was arrested for drink driving following a late night visit to a gay club last week, has ‘come out’ in a radio interview today.
“I’m gay,” the senator told local radio host Inga Barks before returning to the Senate for the first time since his arrest. “Those are the words that have been so difficult for me for so long.”
Divorced Roy Ashburn, also claimed his fight against proposed gay rights laws in the California statehouse were born from his desire to vote the way his constituents wanted.
Jason Shaw
Gay Agenda.com’s United Kingdom Correspondent.
A group of leading democrats including Senator John Kerry have signed a letter calling for the government to over turn a ban on gay men giving blood. They want the discriminatory law abolished, stating that there is “not a single piece of scientific evidence supports the ban.” on gay blood.
The letter has been sent to the Food and Drug Administration, calling for a change in the law that would open the door for gay people to donate blood. They have also asked for the FDA to review their donor screening questionnaire to ensure a healthy blood supply.
“A law that was once considered medically justified is today simply outdated and needs to end, just as last year we ended the travel ban against those with HIV,” Senator Kerry said in a statement
The current law banning gay blood donors was bought in during 1983, stating that guys, who had had sexual relations with another man from 1977 was prohibited from being a donor. 4
From what I understand, The American Red Cross, America’s Blood Centers and The AABB, the big three blood donation groups all support ending the ban.
Part of the letter said –
“The safety, availability, and integrity of our nation’s blood supply are vital. For these reasons, we agree with the American Red Cross, America’s Blood Centers, AABB, and others that the time has come for the FDA to modify the lifetime deferral for [gay men] to be consistent with sensible health and safety policy and with FDA deferral guidelines for high-risk heterosexual behavior. We request that you initiate a review of the lifetime deferral requirement for men who have sex with men wishing to donate blood and that you reexamine the deferral criteria for all blood donors to ensure all high-risk behaviors are appropriately addressed”
Some of the other senators signing the letter were New Yorks Kirstin Gillibrand, Dick Durbin from IIllinois, Daniel Akaka, Sheldon Whitehouse, Sherrod Brown, Frank Lautenberg, Bob Casey, Bernie Sanders, Russ Feingold, Mark Udall, Al Franken, Maria Cantwell, Carl Levin, Tom Harkin, Mark Begich, Roland Burris, and Michael Bennet.
A similar ban is in place in the UK, it’s imposed by the The National Blood Service, whose current rules stipulate that any gay man who has or has had sex with another man, either protected or unprotected, are not allowed to donate blood to the national blood service – ever. This is purely on the basis of sexuality. They are not even given individual consideration: they are simply banned from EVER donating blood. Yet a straight man who has unprotected sex with a different woman every night can give blood at anytime.
There are calls for the ban to be lifted, recently Italy and Spain have lifted their total bans on gay men donating blood. Other European countries are likely to follow suit or have already lifted bans, with some conditions.
Jason Shaw, Brighton, England.
GayAgenda.com’s UK Correspondent
An award winning UK journalist Ray Gosling has admitted to the mercy killing of a his former gay lover!
The 70 year old journalist confessed to killing his former lover with a pillow in a documentary shown on BBC TV in the UK last night. Mr Gosling told the Inside Out East Midlands programme: “I killed someone once… He’d been my lover and he got AIDS.” The journalist, who lives in Nottingham, said he had made a pact with the man to do something if the pain became unbearable. He would not disclose which hospital his partner died in but lead viewers to believe doctors may well have been aware of what took place. “I said to the doctor, ‘Leave me… just for a bit,’ and he went away. When you love someone, it is difficult to see them suffer. I picked up the pillow and smothered him until he was dead. “The doctor came back and I said, ‘He’s gone.’ Nothing more was ever said.” Admitted the ex reporter.
Nottingham Police have announced they are looking into the matter and an investigation into the confession has been started, however on the programme Mr Gosling did not seem unduly concerned at the prospect of police questions, saying: “I have no regrets. I did the right thing.” adding ”When you love someone, it is difficult to see them suffer”
Mr Ray Gosling was well known during the 1970s and 1980s for his investigative reporting and lobbying for gay rights and his work towards gaining equality for all. During 2007 he won a broadcasting award for a special documentary he made about his decision to move into sheltered accommodation called Ray Gosling OAP.
Assisted suicide remains illegal here in the UK, and is a very controversial subject at the moment, many high profile people speaking out in support of it, including the world famous multimillion selling author Sir Terry Pratchett.
Jason’s blog The Seafront Diaries , the true life tales from one kooky Brit boy jogging from one mid life crisis to the next without so much as a green camaro or colbot for transport!
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