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Shanghai Shows Openness to China's Gays

by Trilok on March 15, 2010 at 5:17 PM Lifestyle News

Dozens of men slow dance to a ballad, in a shabby hall in a working-class area of Shanghai, enjoying a few hours in the company of other homosexuals before going home-- many to their wives.

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Every weekend evening, men of all ages pay seven yuan (one dollar) to waltz, rumba and be themselves -- no small feat in China, where homosexuals still face crushing social and familial 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, is married and 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 in China, where it was officially considered a mental disorder until 2001, but experts and gays 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," said 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 'gay capital' of China, boasting trendy bars, clubs and even sport teams such as swimming and volleyball squads for homosexuals.

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