Shanghai Pride
Shanghai Pride (Chinese: 上海骄傲周; pinyin: Shànghǎi jiāo'ào zhōu) is an annual LGBT /gay pride event that takes place in Shanghai, China. It was first held in 2009 and was significant in that it was first time a mass gay event has taken place in mainland China.[1][2]. ShanghaiPride is now in its 4th consecutive year, and appears to be a mainstay on the global Pride calendar.
Event history
In 2009 event was held for the first time over 7 June to 13 June 2009.[1] No parade took place as the legal advice sought by the organisers indicated that Chinese authorities would not approve of a parade taking place in the city. Instead, the event was celebrated as a pride festival with cultural events.[3][4]
The festival featured events such as an art exhibition and film screenings. There was also a large party hosted by a privately owned venue.[3] 3,000 people from China and from outside attended the festival.[3][5] There was also to be a raffle to raise money for the Chiheng Foundation AIDS Orphans project.[2]
In 2010 the event was held during October, directly following the closing days of the Shanghai Expo, over a 3-week period. In 2011 the event was again held during October, this time in over 9 days. For the 2012 event, the organisers have announced that it will move back to June and be held over 9 days.
Organization development
The festival is organised by volunteers from the Shanghai LGBT community. In its conception in 2009, the event planning, partnerships and execution was led by two moderators, American women Tiffany Lemay and Hannah Miller, who had resided in Shanghai for several years.[3] Their status as outsiders created an advantage to hosting the festival, and reduced the potential for government interference.[3] Miller, a lesbian living in the city since 2001, views Shanghai as "undoubtedly China's most liberal and progressive city", which is thus the reasoning for them hosting the festival in the city.[1] Lemay said: ‘…last year, we saw the Beijing Olympics described as “China’s coming out” party. Now China is really coming out - this time from the closet’.[2]
In 2010, with the event now established, there was greater collaboration with more local LGBT groups and other organisations. This has continued throughout the event planning in 2011 and 2012.
Other China Pride Events
In 2010 there was an informal JingPride held over one day in June. In 2011 this was grown into a weekend event. It is unknown whether this event will continue in 2012.
References
- ^ a b c "China Comes Out With First Gay Pride". On Top Magazine. 2009-06-06. Retrieved 2009-06-06.
- ^ a b c "Eye on Gay Shanghai: Mainland China's 1st Pride event". Shanghaiist. 2009-06-06. Retrieved 2009-06-06.
- ^ a b c d e "Shanghai to show pride with gay festival". BBC News. 2009-06-06. Retrieved 2009-06-06.
- ^ "Gay pride celebrates in Shanghai". Australia Network News. 2009-06-08. Retrieved 2009-06-09.
- ^ "China's first gay pride festival held in Shanghai". RIA Novosti. 2009-06-10. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
External links
- Official site
- ShanghaiPRIDE Blog
- GayShanghai.com, Gay Guide to Shanghai.
