Gay Bar Delays Opening in China

Intense media scrutiny has delayed the opening of the government-backed gay bar designed to help prevent the spread of HIV in China.

According to Agence France-Presse, volunteers from the nongovernmental organization overseeing the project delayed the opening because of fear their identities would be revealed, an indication of how gay life remains taboo in the world's most populous country. Homosexuality was officially considered a mental illness in China until 2001.

"The bar was due to open on December 1 -- World AIDS Day -- with the support of the local government, which had invested 120,000 yuan ($17,600 dollars) in the NGO," reported AFP.

Whenever media attention subsides, the bar will open in Dali, in the southwestern province of Yunnan. Its purpose is to provide a location where gay people can meet casually and receive information about HIV/AIDS prevention.