Mr Gay China pageant 2010, the first pageant for gays, will be held on January 15, 2010 and the winner will represent the mainland in the final of the Gay World Ambassador pageant 2010 in Oslo, Norway in February. The pageant aims at boosting community’s confidence in country where homosexuality was classed as illness until 2001. The event is a striking sign of how far attitudes in China have changed and of gay people’s increasing confidence. Gay sex was illegal until 1997. Homosexuality was classed as a mental illness for four years after that. Now an emerging gay community is busting stereotypes.

There’s a swimwear round and a talent section where contestants can show off their singing and dancing. But organisers insist the contest to be held this Friday is a serious business. It is China’s first gay pageant.
The event’s organizer said they want a handsome and sunny young man to promote a healthy image of gays. ”I hope the winner will stun the country’s generally conservative and biased public with this decent taste and lifestyle and he will also showcase his strong Chinese body to the Western world,” Ben Zhang, co-founder of Gayographic.Org said. The Beijing-based blog contacted Gay World Ambassador Ltd’s Hong Kong branch and took up the challenge to host the event in China.
Candidates that are taller than 170 cm and aged between21 and 40 can now register on Gayographic.org. The eight finalists will be interviewed and take part in a fashion show at the event, similar to ordinary beauty contests.
Source: gayographic.org