The Sojourner

China's First Gay Pride...

...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.

"It felt like I was the only gay man in the world."
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

“Sometimes I feel like we are playing a complicated game with the government. No one knows where the line is, but we just keep pushing."
Wan Yanhai, a prominent advocate on gay issues, including AIDS, and who was asked to leave Beijing for a week because they feared he might cause trouble during the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown.
Gay Festival in China Pushes Official Boundaries by ANDREW JACOBS

"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

===========================================

Acknowledgements for Photos and News Reports

CHINA DAILY 
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2009-06/16/content_8286837.htm
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2009-06/10/content_8266057.htm
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2009-06/23/content_8310983.htm

NPR 
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=105405434

NEW YORK TIMES 
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/15/world/asia/15shanghai.html?ref=world
http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/06/28/travel/28heads.html?scp=1&sq=heads%20up:%20new%20day%20for%20shanghai%20nights&st=cse

NEWSWEEK
http://www.newsweek.com/id/201981?from=rss

BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8083672.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8093695.stm

REUTERS 
http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTRE55C1UB20090613

THE ECONOMIST
http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13877186

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.

LAN Party

Surrounded and inside one of Philippe Starck's interior design masterpieces, the gay guys had a fabulous time at LAN Club last night. 

As usual, the fab time was brought by, GAYOGRAPHIC, the ultimate gay party diva!

Anyone who would come inside this posh bar would be intimidated by the huge chandeliers, squishy couches, splendid armchairs and sparkling tables. These stuff make you feel like you just get inside a royal palace and it's so inappropriate to behave.

Unless, you are a homo.

You have every right to sashay your butt, flaunt your tits, snap your fingers and say, "Bitch, you are under my spell!"

Why not?

It's a homo party, so, be yourself and get down on your knees!

With a hundred homos in attendance, who would be left behind unattended?

Even the fugly ones were cavorting to the titillating music of DJ Simon. Though I didn't dance wild on the dance floor, my feet were happy. ;)

I wonder how a DJ like him kisses. ;)

I'm not daydreaming. I'm illusioning!

Hahahahaha...

LAN is, unlike other bars, NOT pretentious. Classy as it looks, this venue is actually down-to-earth.

Forget about the expensive ornaments and elaborate designs, just sip a wine and live, feel the impulse of luxury around you.

And when you're groggy, worry not about puking unfashionably.

Their bathroom offers a relaxing respite from the madding crowd.

...and from the disgusting aroma of your own shit.

Sunset from my rooftop

I live in a building with 24 floors.

I know a hot, delicious Italian guy on the 23 floor but I've never seen him again since I talked to him in the elevator two months ago. :)

I'm on the 9th floor. And everytime I see a beautiful sunset from my bedroom window, I always wonder what the hell it is like living on the penthouse.

I've been going back and forth to the roof for the last four months but no luck. The door was always locked.

Then, finally, the other day, I found a young lady who can speak a bit of English and asked her permission if I could go to the roof and take photos of the sunset.

Without qualms, she obliged and she actually accompanied me for the first ten minutes. She said, she never practiced her English for a long time, so, she was happy to speak to me.

When she left me alone, I called my two neighbors slash bitches and told them to come upstairs and enjoy camwhoring while the sun is setting.

Like a lightning and thunder, they came in a flash and bolt.

So, here are the photos.

Where is my vote?

Perhaps, the most famous slogan we all have seen and still is in the Iranian Election protest is:

These words reverberate throughout the world and carried out by protesters of all races outside the troubled country.

It's heart-wrenching to watch all those gory videos in youtube of how victims shed their blood, fought and ultimately shut their eyes to the world and rested in peace.

One video that caught the world's eyes is the video of a woman named Neda.

She's a student who went out to the streets with his father to join the throngs of people who want nothing but change for their country.

For the better.

But then, that peaceful protest turned into violence (and worse a massacre) and Neda was unfortunate to survive.

The video of her last breath was visibly captured by a cellphone camera. If you have seen the video itself, Neda actually looked at the camera before she finally shut her eyes forever.

It's very scary to watch someone die.

I should know.

I've seen one myself and even, until now, I could still remember how it happened.

It's very painful.

Very.

Neda's video seized the world's attention and now becomes a rallying cry for Iranian protests.

Though cut short, Neda's life was never wasted.

In solidarity with the Iranians and to mourn for those who joined, fought and died during the violent rally against the evils, this post is for them.



**********************************************
I know that this post is very sooooo not me, you say, but even if a whore and a piece of shit like me, (gasps!) I DO care about what's happening around the world. I know it's "unfabulous!" :)) 

The Next Chinese Pop Idol?

I went to Tuanjiehu Park last Wednesday to meet someone but he stood me up.

He called and apologized that he can't meet me because, according to him, "Work's a bitch!"

Whatevah.

So, instead of sitting in a lonely bench, I checked out half of the entire park and meandered through trees and concrete steps.

When I reached the top of a hill, I saw this guy who was singing with all his heart, soul and might.

Tuanjiehu Singer from wideye shut on Vimeo.

Armed with a hand-made microphone, he sang to one human audience and the rest were the trees, grasses and the chirping birds. I sat on a concrete bench and joined the other nenderthal watching him perform.

People were passing by and they just ignored him.

Some would stop by and must have thought he's some kind of a flip.

He performed like he was some sort of a really famous singer in China. He imagined like he was on this huge stage inside the Bird's Nest. It's the concert of his lifetime! 

Maybe, he was just practicing for his piece to the next Pretty Boy (sort of American Idol version in China) audition in Beijing.

Whatever the reason is, he has my admiration for his guts and passion for what he believes and likes to do.

Couchsurfing Day Celebration / Farewell Dinner and Yen 5 Debauchery

What a freakin' night of debauchery, boys, flirting and camwhoring!

Oh dude, I would be damned and would have bad sex for eternity if last night didn't happen the way things should be.

To quote Shakespeare, "Hell is empty, all the devils are here." 

True.

Except that Shakespeare IS dead.

I'd say, "Hell WAS empty, ALL the Devils WERE there!"

W H E R E....?


BRAZILIAN BBQ Buffet Restaurant

International Couchsurfing Day was supposed to be last June 12 but for reasons I don't know, we didn't celebrate. Instead, we did it last night. Twenty nomads shared the buffet table and one came in so late. And one went away so early.

You know who are. Be warn. I'll spank your asses when I have the energy to do so.

Soon.

Be ready because I'll insert one finger, too! Hahahahaha....

It was not just to celebrate the 10th birthday of the idea---surfing couches---but also to bid adios to those who will be leaving this city in exchange for a greener pasture, bluer sky and kinkier venue.

Last night was my 4th farewell dinner of the week. And another one tomorrow. I hate saying goodbyes. Especially---if the ones leaving are the ones who camwhore with you like a pro, laugh with you when something is farcical and most of all spank you when you behave naughty.


LADIES NIGHT at TUN BAR

I'm not a lady, obviously.

And I'm not gonna wish to be one.

It's complicated.

Duh.

While having Ladies Night is a good business strategy (I would do the same if I owned a bar), it demeans women's sense of worth---for free drinks? 

Ok, if I were a lady, I'd feel being valued for giving importance to my femininity for one night in a week.

But come one, the bottom line is: this strategy is pimping women in a subtle way, don't ya think? :) 

Seriously.

Ok, forget what I just said.

I guess, I'm just trying to make fuss on everything. Or maybe, I'm so envious for that kind of treatment to ladies. Or maybe, I'm just a plain bitch.

But, believe me, it's the lady in me talking. Not the gay side. :)

It would be fair to me IF a guy will be given a free drink if he brings at least three ladies. Last night, I had a bunch of bevy women with awesome tongue skills and voluptous mammary glands, so, Tun owes me a couple of drinks.

Hahahahaha...

You see, I'm so good in pimping out my friends, too!

Peace, ladies. :))

Tun, was actually our first stop of the night after dinner. The ladies planned to get wasted there before heading out to the Yen Party.

 
I love the DJ who played there between 10-11:30 pm. Whoever you are, I'll give you a blow job or if you are scared, a sensuous massage without skipping anything, or just name it and I'll do it.

Hahahahahahahahaha... 

As usual, we were nasty in the dance floor. My lady-friends were bumping and pumping my hump in and out. Whatever that means, figure it out. :))


YEN 5 DEBAUCHERY

At 11:40, we deserted Tun Bar and headed out to the YEN 5 Party at 706 Dashanzi.

If it's from YEN, it must be awesome!

I've been attending numerous YEN parties for four years here in Beijing and they never fail to amaze me. They're always up to something good and and it gets better and better.

Well, except for the White Party this year. The music was just ok but it didn't dissapoint me very much. :)   

Last night was a BLAST!

It was not just a party to mark YEN's 5th Anniversary as the pioneering electronic music event across China, but, it was a rave to further claim that YEN is THE NAME synonymous to mind-blowing electronic music.

No one should argue with me for that.

Especially if you were not there! :))

So, shut up and click the video below.

Yen 5 Debauchery from wideye shut on Vimeo.

Of course, a rave is not fun without the unbelievably incredible party animals--like me and my host of fabulicious friends and friends of friends and new friends I met. 

The crowd was uncontrolable and the fun was astoundingly spectacular! For some strange reason, unlike other YEN parties I've been to before, there were only few who actually made out on the dance floor (or maybe, I didn't see it because I was obssessed with the music).

Everybody was jumping high and low but prowling eyes were met with tantalizing, flirty moves---inviting--- "come over and get me, dude."

Yeah, they were audicious moves but powered by social lubricants and well, some kinkiness, too.

To all the DJs last night, thanks for that hell of boombastic orgy of gratifying pleasure to dance with your music.

I was impressed. Keep up the good music!

Now and forever.

Amen to that.

Do you remember the hot Malaysian boytoy I blogged about a couple of weeks ago? 

I saw him again last night and this time, it was not just a fleeting moment for both of us but it was the moment I've been waiting for.

No. We didn't do it. We didn't do anything. Really. Promise.

It was just purely teasing, camwhoring and talking. His friends set me up and they're so good at it.

I love them, for being wonderful accomplices. They made my night. And Howard, (Yes, that's his name!) was painfully blushed but was not shy. ;)  

Aside from the camwhoring and teasing, I didn't remember anything. I hope I didn't do any nasty stuff to displease him. :)

And if ever I did, half of me is dead.


WHITE RABBIT
My Favorite Bar

Around 4 a.m, we all moved to our favorite after-YEN partay venue (the only one ever), the White Rabbit.

The rabbit hole is always a place to go anytime of the day and night. There's always something there that seduces partygoers every now and then.

It could be the music. 

It could be the underground venue.

Or simply because we all love a white bunny to play. 

But, certainly not the drinks.

Everytime I have whisky coke or rum coke, it ALWAYS tastes 99% COKE and the whisky or rum is something that I have to find out.

Or maybe, I'm always unlucky that my glass is not ALWAYS filled with at least 50% of those alcoholic beverages.

Forty minutes at the dance floor later, I saw a familiar face among the dancing crowd.

He smiled and motioned me to come over. 

We both smiled.

Perhaps, we remembered the things we did the last time we met. It's been ages.

After a small talk, we finally decided to "reconnect" or more fitting, "continue" the fun somewhere.

I went out of the hole at 5:03 in the morning with scattered patches of orange sky in the East.

I took the cab first and he followed a minute later.

He just got married and still discreet, he says. :))

And the wife's not here, so, he plays around.

Four hours later, I woke up---wrapped around his chiselled arms.

Our undies were near the door.

But, our shoes were next to the bed.

I wonder how it actually happened. ;)

Free Hugs

HUG is a gesture that may be too personal to some but when it is given freely and willingly--it touches someone--even if you may not notice it.

I have always been a believer of FREE HUGS ever since I found out (in 2004) a video of Juan Mann, the first man who did it in Sydney, Land Down Under.  

"Sometimes, a hug is all that we need," he said.

Those words summarize the essence of FREE HUG.

I started campaigning for FREE HUGS last year's YEN White Party. I wore, what else, but, white shirt with a FREE HUG print on it.

It was an awesome experience. I went around giving FREE HUGS and some necessary chit chats to friends and strangers. One guy hugged me so tight that I gasped for breath when he released me. I excused him for doing that. He was drunk.  But, amazingly, he could still read.

Ah, the power of alcohol! Fierce.

 Then, this year, I did it again by wearing another white shirt with print "I'm fabulous and a FREE HUG giver!" 

The whole night I was hugging and I went home with the same shirt scented with alcohol, sweat and lipstick. And yes, I brought home one of those guys I hugged. Hahahaha...

Like me, he believes in FREE HUG. 

I wonder, where he is now.                

The first FREE HUG event was on June 30, 2004. However, there are many versions of International Free Hugs Day. I read somewhere that today was the the day and then one post said it's on July 4.

Whenever it is, I'll make EVERYDAY a FREE HUG Day!

FREE HUGS from USA and FRANCE

So, how did it start?

Read on through the words of Juan Mann himself:

I'd been living in London when my world turned upside down and I'd had to come home. By the time my plane landed back in Sydney, all I had left was a carry on bag full of clothes and a world of troubles. No one to welcome me back, no place to call home. I was a tourist in my hometown.

Standing there in the arrivals terminal, watching other passengers meeting their waiting friends and family, with open arms and smiling faces, hugging and laughing together, I wanted someone out there to be waiting for me. To be happy to see me. To smile at me. To hug me.

So I got some cardboard and a marker and made a sign. I found the busiest pedestrian intersection in the city and held that sign aloft, with the words "Free Hugs" on both sides.

And for 15 minutes, people just stared right through me. The first person who stopped, tapped me on the shoulder and told me how her dog had just died that morning. How that morning had been the one year anniversary of her only daughter dying in a car accident. How what she needed now, when she felt most alone in the world, was a hug. I got down on one knee, we put our arms around each other and when we parted, she was smiling.

Everyone has problems and for sure mine haven't compared. But to see someone who was once frowning, smile even for a moment, is worth it every time.

Website: FREE HUGS CAMPAIGN 
Find out what happened during the FREE HUG in Beijing.


POSTSCRIPT:
Send me your FREE HUG photo.


POSTSCRIPT:
Florent and Ines are from France.
George is from China.

Doomsday in Beijing

Ok, the title seems to be very exaggerated but when Beijing turns black right before noon today, it was real creepy.

I have to stop the class because everybody was curious to stand by the window to take photos of a very rare phenomenon.


The rain poured outside. And lightning bolted almost every 5 seconds. Thunders rolled but not enough to scare me.


If it's raining in this city, for sure, there's a typhoon somewhere in the Southeast.


These photos were taken between 11:30 to 12:00 noon.

Then, suddenly ...... it looked like this...

Wiggin' the World

One crazy thing I'm doing in couchsurfing is spreading faggotry. :)

But, it doesn't mean turning heteros into homos.

It really doesn't mean anything.

It's just an up front in my couchsurfing profile to shun the homophobes away from my couch.

I make it clear in my profile that I am both yin and yang---fabulously wrapped (not trapped) into one wondrous body.

I don't wanna scare people when they meet me, so, a brutally honest introduction is, for me, a good way to stay out of trouble.

So far, my CS experience is awesome and got nothing to say bad about my couchsurfers. They were all great and fun to be hosted.

The couch with stories to tell...

I felt bad to those I have declined requests due to unavailability of the couch.

But, still, on their request, I met some of them---so they could wear the wig that made me infamous for in the community.

A hundred percent of those who requested for a couch expressed willingness and excitement to wear the wig! Some of them even pointed out that I should host them or meet them because their country is not yet represented. And that floored me. ;)

One couchsurfer accused me of being pro-American because at the current tally, Americans are the gold medalists. Man, they are everywhere!!!

The Rainbow Wig...
... has nothing to do with the LGBT community.

The colors represent the diversity of the couchsurfers, surfing from one couch to another. They maybe from all walks of life, races, religions and cultures, but the bottom line is: the world looks so huge---but when someone offers a couch to a weary traveller, this world looks so small.

The Rainbow Wig has gone a long journey already. It has been on the heads of 163 individuals whose tolerance to my fabuloussssshhhhhness is beyond words.

I'm glad I shared laughs to random people who knocked my door or said hello, and joined me in endless nights of debaucheries in this city. From the kinky streets of Sanlitun to numerous raves and drinking sessions, conversations and trips, life in Beijing is fuckintastic! 

If The Wig could speak for itself, it shall be thankful to those who proudly wore it and posed like how they want ME to remember them. 

I declare them all --- ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS!

As of June 14, 2009

Argentina - 1 (Leo)
Australia - 5 (Emma, Jared, Jenny, Philip, Sam)
Austria - 1 (Theresa)
Belgium - 1 (Stefan)
Brazil - 1 (Adriano)
Cambodia - 1 (Street Child)
Canada - 13 (Andrei, Ann, Carolyn, Catherine, Davis, Ed, Jeff, Keven, Kwan, Laura, Ryan, Simon, Tori)
China - 15 (Ai, Annie, Beatrice, Carrie, Chris, Feng, Cui Xiao, Jenny, Mao, Nick, Waitress,
Icy, Seb, Su, Tibby)
Colombia - 1 (Catalina)
Costa Rica - 1 (Vanessa, Oscar)
Croatia - 1 (Igor)
Denmark - 1 (Lene)
Dominican Republic - 1 (Angel)
Ecuador - 1 (Gabrielle)
England - 7 (Chris, Fleur, Pete, Peter, Petras, Niall, Nick)
Finland - 1 (Paula)
France - 12 (Baptiste, Bettina, Caroline, Claire, Florent, Hamza, Ines, Julien, Leon, Lucas, Manon, Manu, Max)
Germany - 12 ( Alex, Berti, Ingo, Jan, Jens, Lee, Linda, Magdalena, Maxima, Michael, Mirko, Oli, Sarah)
India - 4 (Deepesh, Guru, Mady Tomi)
Iran - 1 (Amir)
Ireland - 1 (Donagh)
Israel - 1 (Gil)
Italy - 3 (Alessandro, Davide, Marco, Raffy)
Japan - 1 (Maki)
Kazakstan - 1 (Aizhan)
Malaysia - 2 (Jon, Maggie)
Mexico - 1 (Salvador)
Morocco - 1 (Kawtar)
Netherlands - 4 (Soiren, Vincent, Marielle, Rudolph)
Norway - 1 (Liv)
Philippines - 4 (Bryanboy, Rikki, Jonel, Ronald)
Portugal - 2 (Alex, Rui)
Romania - 1 (Suzy)
Russia - 1 (Slava)
Serbia - 1 (Philip)
South Korea - 2 (Hyuk Ju, Sang Yoon))
Spain - 7 (Alberto, Beatriz, Dani, David, Irene, Jose, Sergio, )
Sweden - 5 (Anna, Ida, Fredrick, Julius, Marcus)
Switzerland - 3 (Christian, Geni, Evelynne)
Thailand - 2 (Mimi, Som)
Tunisia - 1 (Abdelaziz)
UK - 1 (Gordon)
U.S.A - 23 (Akua, Andy, Angelique, Brad, Brandon, Brie, Chishan, Doug, Elicia, Jeff, John, Jordan, Lizzy, Mark V., Mark, Mark T., Matthew, Matt, Mike, Nina, Rebekah, Samantha, William, Zach)
Venezuela - 1 (Misha)
Vietnam - 1 (My)

FAB WIGGERS = 163
No. of Countries = 45

Photo of the Day

It's another beautiful day again in Beijing!

Bird's Eye View of Guomao from the 25th floor in Jianwai Soho



Isn't it weirdly sexy? :)