The first-ever gay pagenat is to be held in China

BEIJING — A gay pageant is to be held for the first time in China, where homosexuality remains largely hidden, to crown the man who will represent the Asian nation at a worldwide contest, organisers said Thursday.

The Mr Gay China pageant will take place on January 15 at a club in Beijing, ahead of the Mr Gay World competition in Norway in February, Ben Zhang, founder of gay media and PR website gayographic.org, told AFP.

“There will be sportswear and swimsuit segments, a Q&A session, and a panel of judges will select the winner based on overall performance,” Zhang said.

The pageant will be open to anyone who lives in China — local or foreign, and contestants can apply online, he said.

“Being homosexual, in general we get a lot of discrimination everywhere, so we are not going to discriminate against any contestants,” Zhang said.

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Source : AFP

BEIJING — A gay pageant is to be held for the first time in China, where homosexuality remains largely hidden, to crown the man who will represent the Asian nation at a worldwide contest, organisers said Thursday. The Mr Gay China pageant will take place on January 15 at a club in Beijing, ahead of [...]

By Guo Anfei in Dali and Shan Juan in Beijing (China Daily)

The idea was simple: Set up a bar to attract gay men and then use it to distribute information on AIDS/HIV prevention.

The media loved the idea – but all the attention kept the gay men away.

“They (gay men) refused to show up at the opening for fear of media exposure and potential discrimination,” said Zhang Jianbo, the bar’s founder and a local AIDS doctor in Dali, Yunnan province.

The bar, partially funded by the Dali Health Bureau in collaboration with two local anti-AIDS NGOs that Zhang heads, was meant to facilitate outreach efforts targeting groups facing a high HIV risk, particularly gay men.

Its opening was set for yesterday, World AIDS Day.

Zhang said intense media attention surprised him a lot.

“Had I known it, I would not have told the media,” he said.

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By Guo Anfei in Dali and Shan Juan in Beijing (China Daily) The idea was simple: Set up a bar to attract gay men and then use it to distribute information on AIDS/HIV prevention. The media loved the idea – but all the attention kept the gay men away. “They (gay men) refused to show [...]