Opening of SW China's gay pub delayed under pressure

2009-12-01 09:30:07 GMT2009-12-01 17:30:07 (Beijing Time) Xinhua English

DALI, Yunnan, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Opening of the gay pub in southwest China's Yunnan Province was delayed due to pressure, said its founder on Tuesday, the 22nd World AIDS Day.

The pub in the tourism Dali city which has drawn wide public attention was set to open on Tuesday.

"The pub will open sooner or later," said its founder Zhang Jianbo, who was a doctor from the Dali No.2 People's Hospital.

One reason for the delay was too much pressure towards volunteers working in it.

"They will be looked at through 'colored glasses'," he said.

Another reason was too much attention from the public. "Too much attention would keep the gays, who are reluctant to be recognized, out of the pub," Zhang said.

"The government earmarked 120,000 yuan (about 17,647 U.S. dollars) to a social group who runs the pub," Jiang Anmin, deputy director of the Dali health bureau, told the Beijing News on Monday.

The border province has about 23 percent of China's reported HIV infected people and AIDS patients, while Dali is one of the worst-hit areas in the province.

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