...happened in Shanghai on June 7-14 in the year of our Rainbow Flag, 2009! :)
Though there was no Parade (to avoid being political?) that is usually associated with Pride, Mainland China's Pride Week successfully raised the Rainbow Flag---but with some police intervention.
In China, gay sex was decriminalized in 1997. And in 2001, homosexuality was deleted from the list of mental disorders.
Here's the video clip of the celebration that prompted CHINA DAILY to write, "a good showcase of China's social progress," an event of "profound significance."
Below are the print media who were there and joined the milestone of China's LGBT community.
From a gay man, remembering the dark old days when he shuddered at discovering his sexual orientation.
PRIDE and PREJUDICE by Qian Yanfeng (China Daily)
Shanghai Pride 2009 was intended to help more LGBTs to come out of the closet. Yet government meddling clearly sent a wrong signal. It is a message denying the basic civil rights of LGBTs, who are no longer illegal in this country. It's quite disturbing to see the local authorities still adopt such a hostile attitude towards LGBTs and persist in trying to confine them to the closet in such a big city.
GAY FESTIVAL TEACHES TOLERANCE by Chen Weihua (China Daily)
The festival is sending a strong signal to the 1.3 billion Chinese about greater acceptance and tolerance.
PRIDE OF TOLERANCE by China Daily
"Your hands would be trembling as you edged closer to another man. You'd ask, 'What's in the news today?' If the other man had no idea, you'd know he was gay," the panelist recalled.
China's Gay Pride Week Mixes Celebration, Caution by Louisa Lim
"We're definitely not trying to make it a festival for foreigners. We want it to be something that everyone feels comfortable coming to and that can raise the awareness about the LGBT community in Shanghai for locals and foreigners, straights and gays."
Hannah Miller, Festival Organizer / Hundreds turn up for first Shanghai gay pride day by Royston Chan
“BRING in the boys!”
An announcer howled on a recent Saturday afternoon at Cotton’s, a bar in Shanghai.
A NEW DAY for SHANGHAI NIGHTS by ARIC CHEN
Greater tolerance may come more naturally in China than some Westerners
imagine. As counterintuitive as it may sound, traditional Chinese
perceptions of homosexuality have not been as negative as in the U.S.
There is no "religious right," and China has no strong religious
beliefs that denounce homosexuals. In imperial times, some Chinese
emperors had sex with young male courtiers without being stigmatized.
Li Yinhe of the Chinese Academy
of Social Sciences, one of the country's top experts on family and
gender studies.
Pride Without A Parade By Duncan Hewitt and Melinda Liu | NEWSWEEK
"In the past homosexuals were regarded as bad people. Nowadays no-one thinks they are bad, but they are still considered to be 'alternative'. What's changed is that people think they are alternative, but they believe they should have their own rights, be able to make their own choices."
Yu Hai, Sociology lecturer, from Shanghai's Fudan University
Shanghai to show pride with gay festival by Chris Hogg / BBC News Shanghai
Officials have warned the owners of two venues planning to hold a play and a film screening they would face "severe consequences" if they went ahead.
China bans parts of gay festival By Chris Hogg / BBC News, Beijing
Chinese gays, who playfully call themselves “comrades”, have plenty of scope for networking. One surprising website caters specifically for gays in China’s army and police force.
Comrades-in-arms / The Economist
"In today's China, you can be gay. But, you can't be political."
Bin Xu, a veteran LGBT campaigner / Gay Pride in China? Yes and No By Emily Rauhala
WORDS FROM THE ORGANIZERS
===========================================
CHINA DAILY
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/
NPR
http://www.npr.org/templates/
NEW YORK TIMES
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/
http://travel.nytimes.com/
NEWSWEEK
http://www.newsweek.com/id/
BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/
REUTERS
http://www.reuters.com/
THE ECONOMIST
http://www.economist.com/
GLOBAL POST
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/china-and-its-neighbors/090615/gay-pride-china-sort?page=0,0
SHANGHAI
www.shanghaipride.com
BEIJING
http://www.gayographic.org/en/index.php
FRIDAE
http://www.fridae.com/newsfeatures/2009/06/18/8481.
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