Remembering the gay old times

It's hard to say goodbye so let's not discuss it in too much detail or I might need to break out my silk handkerchief. Needless to say, this columnist, who has loved Shanghai with all of his heart, will be heading back to his home country for good. So, please allow me to indulge a bit and reflect on the years I've spent in Shanghai.

My introduction to the gay scene in Shanghai started with the first annual LGBT Pub Crawl, organized by ShanghaiLGBT (shanghailgbt@yahoogroups.com). Touring all of the gay / lesbian bars in the city on a limo bus was the greatest concept. It turned out not only to be a fabulous introduction to Shanghai's gay scene, but on that night I met some awesome people. From one bus the first year, to two buses the next year, will there be three buses this year? Sadly, I won't be there to tell you.

Over the years that I've been in Shanghai, the scene has gone through its ups and downs, and sometimes as a fan of the scene, it can be like seeing a family member in pain. For example, Club Deep closed the same night as the second annual LGBT Pub Crawl. We also got to experience the rebirth of Home&Bar as PinkHome, only to have it close because of drugs a year later. And now with LC and whispers of more club openings in the future, I wish nothing but the best for them.

One of the things about the Shanghai gay scene that I will miss the most is its diversity. On my last night in a gay bar here, I was looking at the crowd and admiring their different backgrounds and experiences. There were the expat teachers from the international schools talking with a group of French guys, while a small group of locals were laughing in the corner with cigarettes in hand. A Chinese friend said to me once about Eddy's, "Small bar, but a big world!" Ignoring his grammar, I thought to myself, "That IS the Shanghai gay scene."

In a city where buildings go up and down in a day, gay clubs open and close on a whim, and people travel in and out as if the whole city was a giant hotel, I can only hope that the next time I come back to Shanghai, I will find a familiar face somewhere in the crowd and an open seat at the bar.

Pete