ShanghaiPRIDE 2013 | 上海骄傲节 ShanghaiPRIDE

Give Me Five! Fifth Annual ShanghaiPRIDE Week Most Successful Yet

This press release is also available in Arabic, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish.
Shanghai, June 23, 2013 – Shanghai joined LGBT communities across the globe last week with its fifth annual ShanghaiPRIDE, a week-long event in celebration of global LGBT Pride Month. This year, turnout was higher than ever with over 3000 attendees over the week. All events enjoyed a phenomenal turnout, with capacity at venues maxed-out.

ShanghaiPRIDE 2013, fondly referred to as “Pride5” to mark the fifth instalment, kicked off with an Art Exhibition at Bluelight Gallery and a Photo Exhibition at Shanghai Studio on the 14^th of June. The art exhibition, sponsored by the Dutch Consulate, featured three artists: Yang Yiliang – Changsha, Jaire Remy W – Singapore, and Miss King – Shanghai. “We wanted to showcase works from artists who are either from the LGBT community or whose works are of LGBT themes,” says curator Linda Li.

The photo exhibition was part of an advertisement campaign that highlighted the three themes of this year’s festival: HIV Awareness, Workplace Diversity & Acceptance, and Marriage Equality. Dylan Chen, organizer since the first Pride, says “ShanghaiPRIDE is not only about parties, it is also about creating awareness on real issues in today’s community.” Photos are courtesy of Vlatko Mitashev, Marco Jacobs, and Englesia Leggett.

Since parades are not allowed, organizers put together a Pride Run which started from Xujiahui Park and ended at Fuxing Park where the Pink Picnic was to be held, as part of the outdoor and sports element for the festival. Despite the slight rain, the event was well-attended by active sports fans, although the Pink Picnic had to be cancelled due to the weather.

Pride5’s Opening Party on the 15^th of June saw almost 1500 attendees, double of what organizers expected, with a queue of party-goers snaking around the block waiting to join their fellow revellers at Club Zeal which overlooks the Bund. The party, sponsored by social media website – Manhunt and fashion brand – American Apparel, featured drag performances, dancers, and raffles draw. Proceeds of this year’s raffles went to Beijing Zuo You, a foundation that creates awareness on HIV/AIDS.

The first weekend continued at Hotel Indigo with a Panel Discussion on Workplace Diversity & Acceptance with speakers from Goldman Sachs and IBM. The event was followed by a Theatre Performance – This Love, a Chinese play about a marriage of convenience between a gay man and a lesbian woman at Shanghai Rose. “This year most of events revolve around our three themes. This Love represents an issue that exists in our society today,” adds freshman organizer, Evie Wu.

The Pride5 Film Festival, which was a smash hit, opened at Alliance Francaise, followed by film-screenings throughout the week sponsored by Goethe-Institut, Biblioteca Miguel de Cervantes, and the Canadian Consulate. Films shown were from China, France, Germany, Spain, and Canada. Every film night featured a director, producer, or actor as a guest speaker which created an interactive atmosphere.

The week of celebration also included a fun and friendly Trivia Night at 390 Bar & Cafe and a Ladies-only Party at The Geisha. “There is always something for everyone, whether it’s the arts or social events. ShanghaiPRIDE is for everyone,” says co-organizer Raymond Phang.

The closing weekend began at Glamour Bar with the second Theater Performance – The Scream, a black comedy about a bisexual love triangle, presented in Chinese and then English. This was followed by one of the most popular events of the week, the US Consulate-sponsored Panel Discussion on Gay Marriage. Panellists included a married gay couple, a university professor, and PFLAG founder.

Pride5 wrapped up with a relaxing BBQ at Brownstone on the afternoon of the 22^nd of June. Guests were entertained by a choir and a hot body contest. Later in the evening, more than 1300 party-goers turned out for the Taittinger-sponsored Closing Party at Sigma Film Club on the Cool Docks.

Despite a successful week, the festival was not without challenges. Authorities have shown a greater interest in this year’s events, pressuring a few venues to pull-out at the last hour. Nevertheless, all the events carried on without further cancellations.

The record turnout stood at 70% local Chinese and 30% foreign participation at most of the events, making concerns about last-minute venue cancellations and minor skirmishes with the authorities a minor issue in what was undoubtedly a roaring success for the organizers of this non-profit festival. “The size of this year’s team of organizers and volunteers grew by two-fold and majority of us are local Chinese. It is truly inspiring to see friends from China and overseas work together to make this event a success,” concludes Charlene Liu, co-organizer.

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ShanghaiPRIDE is an annual festival that celebrates diversity. It is run entirely by volunteers and supported by businesses, foreign consulates, and individual sponsors. The events of the week-long festival aim to create awareness and promote tolerance.

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Shanghai, June 1st, 2013

Pride5 Arrives in June with Same Parties but New Purpose

Shanghai Pride Mixes Advocacy with Fun at this year’s week-long event in June

Shanghai Pride Promises it all this June; from the Serious to the Seriously Good Fun

Advocacy and Health to be Focus of ShanghaiPRIDE 2013

Shanghai Pride Week to be Held in June with Greater Focus on LGBT Right

This year’s Shanghai Pride Week, titled Pride5 in recognition of its fifth anniversary, will take place from 14th to 22nd June. A week-long string of events has been planned to boost the LGBT’s community position in China and raise awareness around LGBT themes including marriage equality, sexual health and societal acceptance. Run by volunteers from the not-for-profit group, ShanghaiLGBT and other NGOs, Pride5 is expected to bring thousands of people together at a multitude of fun social and advocacy events.

While retaining many of the activities that have made Pride Week a synonym for ‘Party Week’ among the LGBT and friends community, organisers are determined to incorporate more serious elements into this year’s Pride. Marriage equality will be one of these elements; with support for gay marriage hovering at around 30% in Beijing and Shanghai,Pride5 will discuss ways to raise and promote the issue among the wider public and politicians. To that end Pride5 will feature two panel discussions on workplace discrimination and gay marriage.

Organisers are also hoping to boost interest in Shanghai’s Gay Film Festival which will be held during Pride Week. Their aim is to make it the largest gay film festival in the region within a few years and they are already reviewing locally produced films to screen. Sandwiching the week at both the beginning and end will be LGBT-themed theatre performances and then towards the end of the week there will be an art exhibition featuring work by local up-and-coming LGBT artists. As usual, the opening and closing parties are expected to draw the biggest crowds; last year over 800 people attended the closing party which was held at Mi Tierra and organisers are hoping for an even bigger turnout this year.

“We’re very optimistic that this year will be the biggest and most fun Pride yet, but more importantly it will be the most significant in terms of content,” said Dylan Chen. “With a greater focus on equality, advocacy and sexual health we hope that we can bring together people in a more meaningful way than we have done in the past. It’s time to stop being afraid of confronting the issues that seemed daunting to us before, it’s time for us to come together as a community and share our experiences and knowledge for the benefit of our society.”

ShanghaiPRIDE is a non-profit event run entirely by volunteers. The organizers would be delighted to hear from anyone with time, donations or something to auction for the raffles. If you are able to help, please email shanghaipride@gmail.com with your details.

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The first ShanghaiPRIDE came into being with a bang in 2009, thanks to the tireless commitment of a small group of volunteers. Their hope was, and still remains, that ShanghaiPRIDE can raise the awareness and visibility of the LGBT community in China and thereby increase acceptance and tolerance.

ShanghaiPRIDE is a diverse and colorful celebration of all that’s great about being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered. In a country where only a tiny slice of the estimated 50 million LGBT people are out to themselves and others, ShanghaiPRIDE is a poignant reminder that a lot of progress still needs to be made in Chinese society to help people feel comfortable with the way they were born.

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1 Response

金文军

May 13th, 2013, 05:49

身居海外的上海同志支持上海同志骄傲周。希望这个骄傲周帮助同志们改善社会环境，扩大社会关注度。为你们加油！

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