He would rather cut the sleeve of his sleeping partner, than wake him up |
I mention to Westy that China has traditionally been a very safe space for homosexuality, very tolerant. That it’s only in recent times — a hundred years or so — that China frowned on homosexuality.
I tell Westy the story of a mate of mine, a gay Aussie guy, who’d lived in Shanghai and was now in Taipei. I spoke to him one night in a Taipei pub.He told me that even though homosexuality is legal in Australia, and is illegal in China, he had a better amd easier time as a gay man in China than he’d had in Australia. (At the time Australia still had “poofter bashing” going on).
I should have stressed this more to Westy: not just that China has long been fine with homosexuality. But also that it was only after the western missionaries came to China, and taught about the “evils” of homosexuality, that China changed. Therefore Zhong, a China patriot, ought to take that on board and ought to view the anti-gay thing as being part of western-Christian imperialism (as it is!) and the pro-gay thing as being traditionally Chinese.
It reminded me of the book that I bought a while back, but had forgotten about: “Passions of the Cut Sleeve”, by Bret Hinsch. I should have told Westy about this.
Here’s a clip from the Introduction:
Homosexuality in China dates back to “at least the Bronze Age” |
Westy”s partner, Zhong, ought to become truly traditional Chinese themself and go full-on pro-gay.
Become fully traditional Chinese. Come out! Get with the passion! Cut the sleeve!