Advertisement photos from the official site for “Mr. Gay China” pageant

Contestants

The canceling of the Mr. Gay China pageant, an hour before it was due to begin, shocked and dismayed organizers, participants and the forty or so members of the local and international media who had assembled to cover the event. The Mr. Gay China Pageant, also known as the Mr. Rainbow China Competition was scheduled to be held on January 15th, in Beijing. The event was underway when the main organizers, Gayographic, abruptly announced the event was canceled.

Gayographic had come under considerable pressure, possibly because of the amount international media attention the event received. According to one staff member present at the event, organizers had prepared extensively for the competitions but the arrival of police meant the pageant had to be canceled.

When they had heard that the pageant had been canceled, reporters filed back stage to interview the eight contestants that were scheduled to appear in the competitions that evening. One of the eight contestants, Steven, said that even though he's regretful that they couldn't complete the event, it was still one historic step in the direction of wider acceptance for gays in China and that the gay community has continued to try and channel their voices through whatever medium available.

Steven also commented that he had expected that there would be interruption for the events that night, as “[this is] mainland China and there are some things that are just beyond our control.” He also expressed regret that they would be unable to have crowned a Mr. Gay China that night to represent the country in the upcoming Worldwide Mr. Gay final to be held in Norway next month.

“All we wanted was to express ourselves. There was no other agenda,” continued Steven, adding that he's disappointed that Beijing wasn't ready to host such an event.

Filming director and host for the competitions, Xiao Gan, said that even though it is regretful that the events were shut down, he hopes that this will shine some light on the underlying problems and stigmas facing gays in China and how it will take more efforts and more time to try and overcome these prejudices of society.

“The contestants had all done so much to get themselves ready for the competitions, so it must be devastating for them to hear the news about the last minute cancellation,” Xiao Gan reflected.

Events planned for the pageant would have started at 21:00. The eight contestants would take to the stage to showcase their talents and strut their stuff in a fashion and swimwear show. The winner would have been selected by judges that night and represented China in the upcoming 2010 Mr. Gay World final which will be held in Oslo, Norway next month. According to Gayographic’s web site their weekly party at Lan Club has been postponed indefinitely. They are offering refunds to those who purchased tickets for Mr. Gay China.

Source: gcpnews.com

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