The idea of a pageant as a means to improve acceptance of homosexuality made me wince ever so slightly.

“The event is a striking sign of how far attitudes in China have changed and of gay people’s increasing confidence” wrote Tania Branigan in The Guardian. And so, eight  “brave” contestants will tread the catwalk in a show of physical beauty but also character and personality “that will make a difference in the selection” according to Beijing-based Ryan Dutcher, co-founder & Communications Director of Gayographic, and organiser of the event.

But after reflexion, if it helps people discovering their sexuality and finding out that they are neither alone nor do they have to live a closeted life forever, does it matter if the event perpetuates the cliché of gay men flouting their physics and sexuality? By the way, would anybody accuse Miss World of flaunting her sexuality? Of course, the organisers could have opted for a gay version of University Challenge but who would have watched it?

“We are intelligent, we’re professionals, we’re gorgeous – and we’re gay,” said contestant Emilio Liu, from Inner Mongolia. “I want the audience to know there are a whole bunch of people like us living in China. It’s a wonderful life and it’s not hidden any more.”

The contestants, all white collars, are certainly not representative of Chinese gay men and  it may well be that this pageant will only open a small and narrow window for Chinese gays and MSM, but once it is open, who knows what can happen next. And as for an alternative, the power of the Pink Yuan or more realistically the huge potential for doing business on the back of a potentially demanding lifestyle, will certainly impact on the liberalisation and global acceptance of different sexualities.

Without taking into consideration the “inner beauty”, which I am sure we all care about, I’ll vote for  No. 1010 and bet the winner will be No. 0010.

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