Chinese Police Raid Gay Culture Festival

BEIJING, CHINA - Chinese police shut down the opening of a gay and lesbian culture festival on Friday, an action participants said highlighted deep-rooted intolerance toward homosexuality.
The festival was to be a weekend of films, plays, exhibitions and seminars on the issue of homosexuality, but police raided the opening reception on Friday night and participants said they were still negotiating on whether any of the events could go ahead.
"They didn't have permission to hold this event," said a police official surnamed He.
But participants said the real issue was the subject matter.
"The attitude in China is still very conservative. They say it's illegal, but what's illegal about wanting to understand more about these issues?" asked a film student surnamed Cui.
"They are just conformists, not pluralists. They don't tolerate dissent," said another student, 24-year-old Xiao Ming.
Homosexuality was listed as a mental disorder in China until 2001 and even state media have reported the heavy pressure gays are under to stay in the closet because of traditional beliefs that homosexuality is immoral.
A gay-themed film festival was forced to shift from its venue at Beijing University earlier this year under pressure from police. Friday's event had also moved venues at the last minute, probably in an effort to avoid being shut down.
"The police think it's a bad influence. But it's obviously discrimination," said Zhao Yongliang, among participants who retreated to a nearby restaurant after the raid.
Police also briefly detained a journalist covering the event, demanding, "Are you gay?".
This year, Shanghai's Fudan University launched two courses on homosexual health and research to try to shatter common stereotypes about homosexuals, but Zhao said many gays in China still did not talk about their sexual orientation.
"Most are still a secret but it's a secret that gets bigger and bigger," he said.
from Reuters