Tue 5 Apr 2011 In: International News View at Wayback View at NDHA
More than 60 people were taken into custody for several hours following a weekend raid on a popular gay bar on Shanghai's Bund riverfront. The Shanghai Daily reports that police claimed "pornographic" shows were taking place when they arrived at the Q Bar in the early hours of Sunday. DJs, customers and bar staff were detained, with some held for up to 12 hours. Q Bar DJ Steven Bao has blogged that he believed the raid was the result of fierce competition between clubs, suggesting other venues had complained to police to create problems for the bar and its patrons. Bao wrote that for nearly 12 hours he "was kept in custody like a dog with no food or drinks". Homosexuality was a crime in China until 1997, and it was officially considered a mental illness until 2001. Since then, however, an increasing number of gay and lesbian events have taken place.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Tuesday, 5th April 2011 - 11:18am