Fridae

well hate to say it but...told you so...those are the risks you take if you hang out on known homosexual haunts almost any place on the planet especially those places where men engage in known public sexual activity in public parks or public toilets attracting police interest or gang violence, why would you bother, being Gay doesn't give us some kind of exclusive right to root where ever we want, use your brains fellas and protect your selves more thoughtfully we don't need thousands of roots to inflate our woefull egos, men with higher self esteem and self pride are far more selective only scrags drop em for almost every peice of low life in public parks, go have a cold shower and avoid police harrassment or worse being bashed or murdered

do forget guys that the cops etc ;all log on to gay web sites, and are all aware of these spots....worldwide.

yeah to be honest - i think regardless of being gay or not - if there are that many people doing that kind of thing in a public place the police would be all over it. I happen to know of many raids of police on straight places too where untoward and illegal stuff goes on. wasn't there a big bar in sanlitun that was raided and it turns out it was a big prostitution racket? I'm not sure this is about homophobia, just in case anyone was thinking it was. The article kind of hints at a note of homophobia.

point is, sex in public isn't something to defend, especially in those cruising areas where there might be drunk guys who don't use protection. it's unsafe and unreasonable to require it to be ok for anyone to do it in public. sex is personal, keep it in your rooms people! haha.

As for those who might have been arrested even though they weren't doing anything, I'd say that that IS unfortunate, but in China, you have to realise the Chinese take a rather absolute view on certain situations. Best thing is just not to put yourself in that position. If you know Mudanyuan is a cruising site, then don't go there to chat with someone, haha, just go somewhere else. Get clued up on China guys, the Chinese see a lot of stuff as black and white, and that's how this kind of thing can happen. It's a cruising area and you were there, so, you were cruising. At the moment that's kind of how they still deal.

I think guys in Beijing just need to take a bit more care, don't go hanging out in those parks, mudanyuan and dongdan. The Chinese police are cracking down on all sorts of places at the moment, both straight and gay. This is not a sexuality thing, they see it as a public order thing.

They weren't literally having sex in the parks. They were meeting people. Presumably for sex, but being arrested for meeting people off an assumption is ridiculous.

I thought Beijing was getting more and more gay-friendly...

This case happens in some other countries too. However, the "SWAT teams" carrying weapons were a little too much for such operation. China always have big operation going through even though they are small case after all. Perhaps, they want to warn the gay community from spreading through and from inviting the newbies in. They must have their own reason. But somehow, i think it is kinda ridiculous after all.

Well, gays should watch their own pride and dignity, when they should show themselves in public and how they make their appearances. Showing themselves in large group of community is always a risky way, especially in China. Whilst most people are still conservative and are gays discriminator. We wouldn't know what's gonna happen next.

Are these people who hang out in Mudanyuan has nothing better to do? Aren't they need to work the next day after Sunday? Yeah, i do agree with you guys (comment posters), sex.

Go get a room and find them on the internet! Can't find one? You've got both hands attached! Oh well, all i can say is good luck for those who got detained and unfortunate for them.

Some of these "raids" are simply harassment. I was arrested for being inside a van that was not open to anyone. We were booked and released later. I was asked later if I and my friend wanted to sue the police, but my friend declined.

Furthermore, if what is "public?" Sure, being in plain sight is public, but if you have to really search for someone to see them, then it is not public, as we decided in some American cities.

Welcome to China.......and this is supposedly the country that will be a world leader in the near future? Duh...... I would assume having lived in China in the 90's that the usual 10% ratio of gays(maybe more) would apply.That would include PLA and Police both with whom I have had some of the best times with.

Bottom line is if it was a straight group, nobody would pay any mind.
This and other countries still operate on the process of homophobia first, humanity last...
The Chinese government can go fuck themselves!

This news is similar as George Michael, he was arrested for "engaging in a lewd act" in a public toilet in a park in Beverly Hills, California. He was arrested by an undercover policeman named Marcelo Rodríguez, in a sting operation using so-called "pretty police".
Chinese police even took down the straight clubs who deal with drug and sexual business in the club. Those clubs even get supporting from some Chinese governers, but police still took it down. Therefore, at moment police is not only aiming at gay community, but also aiming at any sexual related behavious in the public place. Everyone need to behave yourself especially in the public place. Build positive gay image for the public.

Who said they were not "behaving" in a public place? Socializing in a public square is open to anyone-straight, gay or whatever else they maybe.Are you saying that gay men & women should crawl back into the closet?

The arrest of large number of gay men, the taking of their fingerprints, and their subsequent release without charge ( meaning presumably the police could not evidence that they had sex in a public place) is a vile abuse of human rights by the police authorities in Beijing.

It has happened in other countries, which now have changed their policies to protect gay men in public places.

The arrested men have my support, they did nothing wrong and harmed no one in my view...even if some of them did have sex.

actually the police doing that is just a scare tactic because they have no idea how to handle gay people in their society, such another backward country maybe in 50yrs gays will be accepted there!
im so thankful to live in Canada where we have full acceptance!

Bravo Bravo Bravo to blu1 and ronmac ! In Taiwan where I live with my partner they teach in the schools about alternate lifestyles, have on the books to legalize gay marriage and Taiwanese society in most cases are very open to alternate lifestyles.There are gay owned and gay friendly restaurants,clubs,hotels,shops and outdoor gathering places to meet other gay & lesbian friends.

Bravo Bravo Bravo to blu1 and ronmac ! In Taiwan where I live with my partner they teach in the schools about alternate lifestyles, have on the books to legalize gay marriage and Taiwanese society in most cases are very open to alternate lifestyles.There are gay owned and gay friendly restaurants,clubs,hotels,shops and outdoor gathering places to meet other gay & lesbian friends.

The SIU (Special Investigation Unit) in Hong Kong used to carry out similar raids on the clubs in HK in the early 80's: burst through the doors, lights on, music stops, patrons flee if they can through the back door. They were also rumored to have a video camera in the butchers (!) opposite the entrance of Dateline filming people coming into the club.

The police still raid clubs - straight ones - when they suspect drug trafficking. Maybe this was the case?

Well I am not going to China for a vacation after hearing about this persecution. Shows that what the Tibetans, Muslims and other minorities have been saying about mistreatment is likely to be true.

I live in Beijing, they cleaned up all the parks, including all the straight and gay vagrants and didn't discriminate, it just happened they porportionately got a few more gays one. Check your facts first and just don't download second hand stories from foreign news reporters in Beijng that don't know the facts and can't speak Chinese. The cops always sweep through the parks every year before China National Day holiday and this year is no exception.

I love the hunky Beijing cops. Really manly and strong and muscles galore. I wouldn't mind getting arrested in Beijing by some of them. They keep the parks safe for straight and gay families alike.

Anyway, Shanghai Pride is coming up but the Shanghai cops are kinda too prissy and old uncles for my taste. But once I had a small fire in my villa and some really hunky young Chinese firemen came and helped put it out. They were glorious. A couple of weeks ago another hunky Chinese life guard jumped in the pool to save my daughter who fell in the deep end. Wow, some many gay heroes these days flying under the radar. Gay cops, firemen and life guards are the new super heroes.

Finally, sex in parks is tacky and stupid and lewd. I say hire a few more good gay hunky cops to patrol and clean up the neighborhoods and parks.

Finally, finally the most family friendly restaurant in Shanghai is gay owned (the Blue Frog) and its a haven for stressed out parents. Great play area for kids and great drinks and a good environment for all.

Queer blah blah spit blah blah western blah blah blah moralize blah blah oh I live in Beijing where I am the leading light in the Party crowd, know what I mean... I have one ranch there also my other one is in Shanghai then there's the ones in Minnesota and Texas but I love those hunky Beijing cops. Anyway I hear sirens...better get back in the basement might be those guys in white coats.

some of you guys are IDIOTS, you know who you are. People go to spot like this because that is all they have. How many chinese have a private flat to go to with another guy? How many can afford a hotel for a liason? How many are out and can go to gay bar? When you have cultural issues and anti gay issues where you live, you deal with it how you can. To sit quitly in closet is not an option.

#1 just stay in your closet so no one ever see or hear you being gay, fine with us. Your biggest self hating self loathing individual *EVER* #3, #18 no one said SEX was happening, read it again. Its a PICK UP spot, not sex spot. No where in article, no police report said a word about public sex. That is YOUR presumption

China has,still is and will always live in the past with regard to certain issues. That is a given and all the press one reads about China being the future ,being progressive,catching up for lost time is nonsense. I have lived(past tense)there and(unfortunately) still travel to work there sometimes. Only things that have changed are bigger buildings that are mostly empty thanks to the greedy construction companies and landlords, more cars(and more pollution) due to the nouveau riche that have to keep up with the Jones's (in this case the Chan's)because the glossy magazines tell them to,"face" which is a Chinese tradition that rules above all else and the Central Government whose policy is for the people but not until their pockets are filled.The rich are getting richer while the poor just fade away traveling from province to province looking for work.Comments from #20 are right on spot and it does not only apply to China but most Asian countries.I lived in HK for 20+ years and did volunteer work for the gay community.The majority of gay HK Chinese in a survey thought the best way to meet men and have sex was in public toilets or saunas.How sad is that in this day & age for the gay youth of today that will be the gay men of tomorrow.The comments from #18 needs serious psychiatric evaluation.

Beijing Public Security Bureau spokesman Zi Xiangdong and his storm troopers are no better than those who perpetrated hate crimes in World War II. If China truly wants to be a world player, they need to realize they can't control the world to meet their standards of racism, bigotry and hate.
For me, the best way to show I disagree with their draconian ways is just never to visit China. Until they change their ways on suppression of freedom of speech, oppression of their people and fear mongering they will always be a third world country just like North Korea or Mynamar or other neighboring SE Asian countries.

I wonder if the straight world will ever see being gay as a partial answer to the world's population problems. I also wonder if straight men will ever realize that every gay (and I don't mean bi) man means less competition for that hot little pussy they'd like to pound. Just wondering.

Come on, chinese are just as homophobic like any other race/society/asian countries. Look at Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, etc.. Coming from one, it will take years for acceptance of homosexuality in China. Should I say decades.

I also think that China is more open about gay issues and more gay-friendly, but there is still a long way to go. For me, the police raid is like a stonewall one in New York City in the late 60s.

As the earlier reader wrote, George Michael was arrested twice in London for similar actions and UK law linked to the EU remains amongst the most liberal in the world. I would question the authenticity of the picture of the swat teams. Really? A kind of Iraq-fantasy. The raids are not about anti-gay sentiment but about public order and hanging around in a public area having sex in a public area is illegal anywhere. The Chinese don't care one way or the other about gays and large gay bars exist in Beijing and the other major cities - but they do care about law and order and gays are capable of disobeying that just like straights. When they do the police act. If you want to look gays who are persecuted go and look at countries in the Middle East like Egypt and Saudi Arabia and give the Chinese a break. They made homosexuality legal ten years ago.

It seems the Beijing police are not very busy if they have time and money to devote to such silly business.

In the interest of 'modernization' Beijing is probably trying out 'advise' from a certain Minister Mentor fr a supposed 'First-World' country. * Oh, at least there's no 377A there - yet.

I think it's better for everyone if gays in Beijing could cruise in-doors at gay bathhouses and clubs instead of public places like parks. I doubt it'd do the gay community's image any good if the straight people who happen to be in such public parks are harassed & offended by gays. Such incidents could only worsen the discrimination. The police would also be inconvenienced by being called up to take the necessary actions. So, if the gay bathhouses and clubs are allowed to operate by the police, it's a sign that the authorities would close an eye as long as cruising is done in-doors as described. So why shouldn't gays in Beijing be co-operative for the common good of the gay community, the police and the public?

Hundreds of gay men rounded up. More than 80 detained for snapshots then released. What I want to know is whether any of these guys exchanged numbers or e-mail addresses after the round-up, during detention or while waiting around for a ride home in front of the police station and whether sex that is forbidden is only a bit hotter or way hotter than sex that is allowed.