China’s first Mr. Gay China pageant, which had been touted as an example of a new acceptance of open homosexuality in China, was shut down by police. From ABC News:
Just an hour before the first ever Mr. Gay China pageant was scheduled to begin, Beijing police came to the nightclub where it was scheduled and told organizers that they were not properly licensed to hold this type of event.
So they were forced to cancel it as the audience and press looked on. Police often use the “licensing” issue as a reason to prevent what the government deems as unlawful demonstrations, such as protests. “It’s incredibly disappointing,” one organizer told ABC News. A great deal of money, sponsorships and time went into putting it together.
Just a day earlier, the contestants and organizers had talked enthusiastically, both about the pageant itself and what it meant for the way China might be changing its attitudes toward homosexuals.
