To the casual observer, the recent events at gay bars in Shanghai could be construed as a death knell for nightlife aimed at the cities pink set. I’m not so sure.
To bring up to speed those who don’t follow the news so closely, on the weekend of April 2, Q Bar was raided and a bunch of people were locked up, some overnight, some for longer. The police thought a go-go performance taking place at the club may have crossed a line. Patrons, however, disagreed. As one told Shanghaiist: “It was a sexy show, but it certainly wasn’t a sex show.”
The scene was splashed across the net and picked up by papers including The New York Times. As the dust settles, grumbling continues and many worry that this is the beginning of the end. I, however, think this is just another page in the development of LGBT life in China.
The sword of Damocles has always hung over alternative events here. Once gays are on the radar, everyone starts looking into places they might normally ignore and often they aren’t particularly keen on what they see. But it doesn’t always end in tears. Last fall, another scene favorite, Shanghai Studio, came under increased scrutiny and was blasted in Shanghai Daily for being too rowdy and disturbing neighbors. Adding a few security guards outside to keep the noise down and hustle patrons inside seems to have settled this manner in a way everyone can live with.
Even Shanghai Pride, though held in the shadow of the Expo last summer, still went ahead–not quite as openly and as problem-free as we all hoped for–but isn’t the fact that it went on at all a good sign? Maybe I’m being naϊve about this, but in my time here it seems that, even with setbacks, we have been inching forward to more inclusion and unity.
What does this all really mean for the LGBT community?
A party planner I spoke to said that although he was a little wary after this recent raid of the repercussions for upcoming parties, he was going to move ahead with his planned events.
I can’t know for sure. When I was out this weekend the crowds seemed a little thinner than usual but spirits seemed high, with one punter quipping, “At least in Shanghai we have a bar to go to,” referencing the fact that in many other cities in China that luxury doesn’t exist. I guess we in Shanghai just have to get used to being the center of attention in the development of Gay China and, for better or for worse, that means intense scrutiny.
What problems, legal or otherwise, do you face as a member of Shanghai’s LGBT community? Share your stories below.
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To answer your question @adamfrost, I think the biggest problem I face is the difficulty of sharing "my" story. I know we have the right to be who we are and love who we love. But equally, we need to be wise and know how to share our stories to the right people, at the right time, in the right way. Christians got themselves a bad rep these days for forcing their message on people, i.e. the bible thumper. I actually think we can learn a lot from their mistakes. I think a good lot of them "means" well, but just wasn't wise and mature enough to express it in a non-aggressive or even hostile ways. When views and beliefs clashes, we all got to learn how to communicate with each other in a constructive manner so that there can be progress in "love and understanding" and not digress back to "hate and prejudice."
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Wow! I seems to have a lot to say in this area. I think it will be a great idea if City Weekend can start a weekly interview of someone from the LGBT community. I also believe it's important that the person being interviewed is willing to show their face. It's imperative to put a face on the LGBT community to stop people from stereotyping "gay's from some of the askewed images they see in the media. It may be a drop in the bucket, but I'm confident it will help in educating people that "gay" people are just regular folks too. We're not that "alternative." Besides the difference in whom we choose to love, we are just people like them, with similar problems they face day to day. I think this will be a good step towards developing a bridge between us vs. them. Because when we finally cross the bridge, we will all realize that there is only "We." In Maya Angelou's book "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," a young black girl ask her mother, "Why do they (white people) hates us so much?" The mother replied, "They don't hate us. They just don't know us. " I think this sums up pretty well what we got to do now, if we want to see changes. Food for thought...hope I offered some helpful options.
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Great article @adamfrost! I think it's just a matter of time before China starts accepting the LGBT as just another community but not a "alternative" community. The LGBT in U.S. has really came a long way, and in recent years won many battles! Yippie! I also think it' s just a matter of exposures. The more exposure the LGBT community gets, negative or positive, more and more people will be immune to it. It seems to be that way about a lot of hot button issues. Somehow constant exposures to anything makes human beings immune to it. In some cases it might not be such a great thing, i.e. Iraq War. But in this case, I think it's definitely going on the up and up. As the Queen of Soul, Diana Ross puts it better than anyone, " I'm coming out. I want the world to know. Got to let it show...." In my opinion, whatever that's consider "alternative" or "novel" eventually fades out and merge into the mainstream, and people moves on and find something else to stir up the crowd about.