The secret life of China’s gays

I come from a country where being gay is punishable by 14 years in jail, but still more I was at the heart of  gay rights struggle there, I went around meeting gays and telling their stories… then I moved to China.

It is legal to be gay in China; no one should come and cry wolf or a river that they are oppressed on account of being gay here in the Middle Kingdom.

One more note about me…I am one athletic guy, if you were gay [or open-minded…lol], you would love to be on my side…you get the picture, but am not gay.

Never mind my narcissism

What am saying is, there are gays in China, the law doesn’t bar them, but they have no pride or courage to live normal life.

In 2010, the AFP cited experts who estimated there were about 30 million homosexuals in China, and 20 million of them are men.

Since arriving in China, I have frequently been hit on by gays. At first I thought it was my athleticism or maybe the way I do stuff, but sad (or good?) for me it was not that.

The guys that hit on me told me they are free to approach a foreigner and say they are gay because foreigners are (said to be) open-minded. That is they never dare tell their Chinese friends they are gay.

Huffington Post has on record Qingdao University's Zhang Bei-chuan  who reportedly told China Daily that about 90 percent [16 million] of the nation's gay men get married to heterosexual [and lesbians] women in an effort to conform to social norms.

I understand their position, imagine being the only child in a society that expects so much from a child and you turn out to be gay or a hooker and in some cases, even a singer.

When I discuss the question of gays with my Chinese [and Africans too] friends they get worked up and simply do not accept homosexuality as a reality, let alone in China.

China’s gays need to come out; there are risks of hiding: gays usually have higher rates of STDs because while living on the DL, they create cells and live dangerously, and they sometimes think ST diseases’ are for heterosexuals. Then there are risks of suicides.

However, I sit and imagine a Chinese gay guy, with his parents aging and aching for an heir and in a society that cherishes honour and losing face is haram.

But like Africans in South Africa, or America and gays in Malawi learnt, the majority is usually very happy to see gays hiding and if they do not come out, they will never get their rights.

Meanwhile I have to explain to this boy, who actually offered me money [the audacity!], that I have may have gay looks, but am actually a fan of the female form.