China's Newest Gay Bar: Patron Tested, Government Approved

Gay bars are a dime a dozen across the world, so it takes a pretty huge feat in order to make international headlines. Yet one gay bar in the city of Dali, China is doing just that. Why? Because it's the first gay bar to have the backing of the Chinese government, hopefully creating a safe space for LGBT people to gather in a country where homosexuality remains a tricky issue.

The bar is meant to be an educational hot spot for folks to help address rising HIV rates in China's Yunnan province. And those rates are indeed alarming, with Yunnan province representing upwards of 23 percent of China's HIV-population, despite being a region that houses only 3.5 percent of the population. That type of disproportion requires action, and led a local doctor to push for the bar's creation.

"As a long-term medical worker in HIV/AIDS prevention and control, I know how hard it is for us to reach these groups to promote self-protection messages like safe sex," said Dr. Zhang Jiambo, who will be trading in his stethocsope for a drink recipe book. Jiambo hopes the bar will be a "space where gay men could meet and socialize and also receive education on how to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS."

Here's hoping his vision comes true. The opening this weekend was a three-week delay from an originally planned opening on World AIDS Day. The abrupt decision to nix the opening of the bar on December 1 had some folks screaming homophobia, as a media circus worked hard to "out" potential patrons, the last thing folks in Yunnan province need.

This weekend's opening of the bar drew roughly 60 patrons, turnout that left Jiambo hopeful that the bar would move toward a successful future. (It also helps that he's offering free tea and snacks! Applebee's, take the hint!) But it's particularly gratifying given that a decade ago, homosexuality was still considered a mental illness in most parts of China, and that twelve years ago "hooliganism" (a particularly childish legal term to describe sexual relations between two people of the same gender) was punishable by prison time and/or fines.

Important questions still remain for China, though. While many see the government-backing of this bar as a positive step, it's happening as a means of dealing with a crushing public health crisis and less so over the question of whether LGBT people deserve equal rights. And while its opening is providing a safe space for folks to gather, it also seems to be catering to an exclusively male clientele, which has some wondering where rights for the L, B, and T parts of the LGBT spectrum fit in.

All good questions for China to wrestle with. But as a whole, the opening of the bar marks the end of a year with several advances for the world's largest country when it comes to gay rights. Earlier this year, the city of Shanghai hosted the country's first pride celebration. And even though the event happened without a large gathering like a parade (public demonstrations are illegal), it did bring activists together for a week of education, cultural activities, and community-building.

Here's hoping the new bar works to serve the same goals.

(Photo courtesy of poeloq's photostream on Flickr.)