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Loading ...Chinese government opens gay bar
11.30.2009 2:30pm EST
The Advocate reported that the health department of Dali, China has opened a government-funded gay bar in an effort to reach out to China’s increasingly open gay community.
Dali is one of the ten cities with the highest AIDS rates in China.Same-sex transmission accounts for about one-third of those new HIV infections, according to the minister of health.
The bar will offer sex education and free condoms, as well as companionship to its patrons, said Zhang Jianbo, the founder.
Jianbo hopes that the bar will be a public gathering place for gay men, especially from rural villages, who used to gather in a patch of woods near the historic town, Reuters reported.
And although it is funded by the government, the bar is staffed by volunteers from a local non-government organization for gay men called the Good Friend Center that works to prevent AIDS.
The China View reported that the bar has been financed by public funds to the amount of 120,000 yuan ($17, 576.)
“Some readers think that it’s a waste of taxpayer money, or an indirect endorsement of homosexual behavior,” said the Beijing News in an opinion piece. “They think if there were another way to reach out to the gay community, it wouldn’t be necessary to open a bar.”
The Deputy Director of Health Dali said the city spends 20,000 yuan ($2,929) each year on drug treatment for AIDS. “If our bar succeeds in reducing transmission, our 120,000 yuan will be well-spent.”
For years, China’s gay community has lived in fear of discrimination, forcing many homosexuals to closet themselves and marry women to avoid family and social pressure.
According to the China View, statistics showed that 48,000 people had been infected with HIV in 2009 and more than 70 percent of new infections were through sexual transmission.
Jianbo said, “We might not even sell beverages in the bar. We will turn the bar into a tribune to offer lectures and training to gay people in order to reduce AIDS infections among them.”
The bar will open tomorrow in honor of World AIDS Day.
Thanks 365gay.com for making me almost spit out the milk I was drinking when I loaded the page!
On another note, this is really great for gays in China. I’m interested to see what follows from this.
“For years, China’s gay community has lived in fear of discrimination, forcing many homosexuals to closet themselves and marry women to avoid family and social pressure.”
And now the Chinese Government will be able to keep better track of them until it’s time to dispose of their gay population. Very, very scary.
And now the Chinese Government will be able to keep better track of them until it’s time to dispose of their gay population. Very, very scary.
Same for the Tibetans and the Uighurs, China wants nothing but a uniform Han Chinese culture from one end of China to the other. No variations allowed.
You would have to be crazy to go to the new gay bar in China. Wait and see in a year or even sooner you will read how on one buzy weekend night in China a few hundred gay people or more are rounded up and soon to be never seen again.This is so scary.
Plus is it me or does it seem like a lot more hate crimes and just verble gay bashing going on around the country. The right wing women are quite scary too lately. I say do not let your guard down people. The right wing crazy’s are lurking in the weeds.The becks,limbaughs, and some of the ones you would least expect will try and try hard to take back all the rights and perks of just being a human being in this country. That’s all I want, but I feel some bad winds coming and we need to be ready.
By the way 365 Gay.com Staff:
Where are Ms. Ali Davis and the ever great Dr. Rachel Maddow tonight?
To the paranoid and ignorant posters below that evidently only receive their knowledge regarding China from propoganda leaflets of the “Red Communist Menance”, I have news for you: this is not Chairman Mao’s China. And your fears could not be more misplaced.
Besides Shanghai and Beijing, which each have around a dozen gay establishments, most major cities in China have at least one openly gay establishment (bathhouses, bars, clubs, etc). Police interference is minimal, but does happen (think 1960’s America). As someone who is fluent in Chinese and has lived here for five years, ridiculous assertions such as China wanting to “dispose” of their gay population have no basis in reaity whatsoever. It’s absurd.
In fact, the majority of Chinese people are neutral or supportive of GLBT concerns, and very practical when presented with an argument for tolerance towards us. Ignorance, and not anger and hate like from fundamentalist Christians, is prevelant here. It is Chinese people’s pragmatic attitude that is liberalizing the struggle for GLBT people here in China, day by day.
This gay bar opening, funded by the government, is just the latest of many encouraging signs over the past few years which include (extremely popular) gay positive courses being taught at Fudan University, a GLBT film festival being held in Beijing, and Shanghai’s first ever Gay Pride celebration held just months ago.
Let’s support the struggle of our GLBT brothers and sisters in China, and not let our political views color reality.
Chairman Mao’s a gay pimp! ROTLLMFAO!!! Sorry…I had to say it…WAY too good to pass up.
OK…some wanna point fingers at the horrible Chinese for their horrible disregard for human rights? The bar thing is just a ploy to herd “undesirables”? So how do you explain the gay bars raided in Ft Worth and Atlanta? Any of you REALLY wanna be arrogant to talk about Chinese (meaning Han) oppression of Uighurs and Tibetans? You taken a look at some of our less stellar American moments–consistent violation of EVERY treaty with an Indian tribe or nation? Interference in other countries’ domestic affairs at the behest of corporations–like Iran, where we’re still reaping the consequences almost 60 years later. Surveillance of citizens? We have that. The HARP Project is one part of a surveillance system that allows the FBI, the CIA, the NSA and other agencies–and their private-sector partners–to drop in on ANY phone call, computer activity, or financial information of ANY American. The Chinese don’t come close to that capacity, and at least they don’t deny that they do it.
Look…I’m not about to claim that this is all sweetness and light. But some of you who are just so insistent on seeing the absolute worst motives in this, you look like fools (and the rest of the world doesn’t lend you a BIT of credence) when you conveniently slide right past the ample dirt on the US end. You acknowledge that we Americans have plenty of scandal and wrongdoing of our own, you’ll find that the rest of the world might pay more attention to what you say.
Thanks for your comments Steven97531 and Drewski…
As a person on the outside looking at the USA, I often despair at all the right wing fundamentalist “Christians” and the wild conspiracy theorist crackpots you have. I wonder if there is anyone sane or even partially in touch with reality in the USA.
Great to hear from you two guys and be reassured that there are some thinking people in the States.
From my own experience in China and with the Chinese, I agree wholeheartedly with the comments you guys have made about China, and I implore Americans to heed your words of wisdom, Drewski, about how the rest of the world views the far-too-many myopic focussed Americans. Take off those rosy star spangled glasses and see the world and the USA as it really is.
You two guys rock!