Skip to content
View in the app

A better way to browse. Learn more.
Gay Guides Forum

A full-screen app on your home screen with push notifications, badges and more.

To install this app on iOS and iPadOS
  1. Tap the Share icon in Safari
  2. Scroll the menu and tap Add to Home Screen.
  3. Tap Add in the top-right corner.
To install this app on Android
  1. Tap the 3-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the browser.
  2. Tap Add to Home screen or Install app.
  3. Confirm by tapping Install.

China’s gay capital Chengdu forced to adapt as government shuts down venues and probes NGOs

Guest reader
Guest reader
in Gay China, Taiwan, Hong Kong & Macau

Featured Replies

From South China Morning Post

It’s Saturday night at the HUNK club in Chengduand men in gold Lycra shorts and black boots dance on stage. They wear kimonos, in an apparent tactical compromise, with new morality codes creeping into China’s “gay capital”.
 
But across town, young women still lounge on leather sofas drinking beer at a lesbian club, while a nearby bar is hosting an LGBTQ  board game night.

Far from the administrative glare of Beijing, the cosmopolitan southwestern city, dubbed “Gaydu” by Chinese millennials, has long cherished its reputation as a safe haven for a community that faces stigma and widespread harassment elsewhere in the country.

But activists now say the city’s permissive streak is under threat, as the central Communist leadership puts the squeeze on the few bastions of LGBT community across the country. Chengdu’s resilient LGBTQ community is not ready to be forced into the closet, however.

“There is some tacit acceptance by the authorities, but it is very delicate,” said Matthew, an activist from the NGO Chengdu Rainbow, who requested use of his first name only.

The recipe for survival, Matthew says, is “making small progress” rather than big political and social statements that rattle China’s hypersensitive authorities.

The mood in Chengdu started to sour in October when the MC Club was closed after explicit photos were posted online and local media reported that HIV infections had been linked to sex parties allegedly taking place at the venue’s sauna.

Some in the gay community say a spike in the number of domestic LGBTQ visitors – unable to travel overseas because of the coronavirus pandemic – drew unwanted attention from city authorities.

Major gay bars in the city were temporarily shut down, ostensibly to control a public health crisis. Then, an activist said, all of the city’s LGBTQ organisations were suddenly investigated.

Continues at

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3115997/chinas-gay-capital-chengdu-forced-adapt-government-shuts-down-venues-and

  • Quote

    • Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
    Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

    Guest
    Reply to this topic...
    Go to topic listing

    Account

    Navigation

    Search

    Search

    Configure browser push notifications
    Chrome (Android)
    1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
    2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
    3. Adjust your preference.
    Chrome (Desktop)
    1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
    2. Select Site settings.
    3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.