West meets East
Living as a gay man in Sydney has its trials. But they're trivial when compared to those faced by Beijing's gay population. Anne Lin talks to 26-year-old Sydney journalist James West about Beijing Blur, his account of living queer for a year in China's capital
In Beijing Blur you introduce the reader to your sexuality quite early on, and talk about being gay with a capital ‘G'. Why did you choose to make it such a big theme? I've never really thought of it not being a theme in the book. There was never ever an option for me to not be honest about that kind of stuff.
What are the main differences in terms of the queer culture between China and Australia? There's an academic that I quoted in the book called Chou Wah-Shan who said that ‘coming out' can almost make a Chinese person a non citizen; if they can't contribute to family then they're basically a non-person. A lot of people aren't out, a lot of people want to get married to fit in with their families and be accepted by them. I think in Australia if you come out, there's a recognised identity that you can be. In China that's not so much the case.
Can you touch on the general public sentiment towards the queer community? People don't really know about it and I think it's quite interesting because I don't think they have the same moral hang-ups as we do about homosexuality. They don't have the same Judeo-Christian model that we're working in. It's not that it's a sin or wrong or fucked up, it's more: "Well that's weird because it doesn't fit into family [if] you can't have kids, you can't get married, how are you supposed to live in a society if you can't do all those things?"
What have you discovered about gay activism in China? There are people who are leading the charge, hosting websites, writing blogs, hosting events. In the book there is the lala salon - a weekly meeting of lesbians where they meet and talk about everything from marriage and having kids to how to treat your girlfriend. It's just a way for them to get together and meet people.
What is cruising culture like in Beijing? I didn't do it at all, but apparently there's this place called Dongdam Park and it's just a famous cruising joint. I think given no other options, people who don't have the money to go to gay clubs or don't have the openness or even understanding of the availability of a gay culture turn to parks, the internet or other forms of hooking up.
In your book, you say "fuck whoever you want but just don't get political about it". What do you mean? I don't think the authorities have any problem with there being gay clubs or people...[but they see] everyone as the same, one size fits all, don't step outsides the ranks. So I can go dancing or hang out with my gay friends, but as soon as it's talked about in a political way things get shut down.
Beijing Blur is out now through Penguin books, priced $29.95