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| A party is held at the UK pavilion park in the Expo Garden for Shanghai's gay community on Wednesday night. (Source: China Daily / Gao Erqiang) |
BEIJING, July 15 (Xinhaunet) -- The UK pavilion hosted a party for Shanghai's gay community at its pavilion park on Wednesday as part of its weeklong focus on civic society.
Organizers of the event said they plan to support Shanghai's second annual Gay Pride Week, which was moved from June to late October, when the Expo ends. It will feature an expanded version of the Gay Olympics that debuted last June, as well as a pink picnic and a pool party.
A carnival-like public parade, typical of the Gay Pride format, is unlikely as it was banned last year for public security reasons.
"You'd expect the UK to support this kind of event. London Pride is one of the biggest gay pride events in the world," said UK pavilion spokeswoman Katherine Dixon.
"It gives a lot to the city and has a great carnival atmosphere."
"We want to have more of a Chinese Pride this year, not just one that's all about foreigners having a party," said Linda Li, a member of Shanghai LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender), which organizes the festival and is mostly run by ex-pats.
"We're hoping to align ourselves more with the Asian gay community as a whole," said Li.
