Mr Gay China pageant cancelled by police

Police closed down the Mr Gay China pageant in Beijing, just as it was about to begin. One of the organisers, Ben Zhang (pictured above from AFP) explained to the waiting media that he'd been told they didn't have the correct license for the stage show. Most had expected the event to go ahead, given the level of advance publicity it had received in state-run media.

"Its a disaster. I'm full of disappointment. I thought the government was becoming more and more tolerant," said Jiang Bo, 29, a contestant from Sichuan province in southwestern China.

"They were making a big step. The whole world was thinking China was doing a very good thing. But now I think everybody will be disappointed." (more here)

The clampdown on this event will sadden many in China and elsewhere, as it was being seen as an example of growing openness about homosexuality and an increasing level of tolerance towards the gay community by the authorities. And it appears that the cancellation of the event is creating more of a media stir around the world than the pageant itself might have done.