The group that unites Shanghai's LGBT community
I recently attended a brunch held by Shanghai's largest gay organization, ShanghaiLGBT. As I munched on some Moon River Diner pancakes, I noticed that most of the attendees were visibly hung-over. Sigh. Nothing new for this group of fun-loving drinkers.

For those living under a rock, ShanghaiLGBT is Shanghai's only organization of expats and locals that helps organize events for Shanghai's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities (hence the LGBT part). And if you are thinking, "Shanghai has trannies!?" you would be surprised that, yes, there are trannies in Shanghai. With over 700 members, the group operates through a group page via Yahoo Groups. While the group doesn't have any leaders, it is moderated by the "Gang of Four," or the four moderators of the Yahoo group that organize and publicize events. A few issues ago, I profiled the new gay men's organization, Men At Work. While both groups have fairly similar goals, they are also a bit different. With two years of experience under their belt, ShanghaiLGBT's reputation for making the Shanghai nightlife interesting is well-earned.

When asked about ShanghaiLGBT's various events, one of the moderators, Hannah Miller says, "We try to support our gay and gay-friendly business owners by holding our parties at their venues." I must confess that ShanghaiLGBT's events are my favorite nightlife events (which are open to everyone LGBT or not) in Shanghai, and with several events held every month, there's always something new. For those who don't drink, weekly badminton, monthly book club, and bowling events are quite popular with the Shanghai gays.

However, it's the drinking events that bring the big crowds. The last Thursday of each month, the members of the group get together for cheap drinks (a necessity at any LGBT event) at Frangipani on Dagu Lu. But, the organization's trademark event is the annual Pub Crawl. For the last two years during the fall, two bus loads of some of Shanghai's most fabulous gays visit all of Shanghai's gay bars and clubs in one night. Look out for that one this fall.

With the weather heating up, ShanghaiLGBT is sure to be planning some of the best events of the summer. Keep an eye out.

Pete