Chinese police shut down the country's first gay pageant tonight, just one hour before the event was due to begin.
Participants hoped the contest would help challenge domestic stereotypes about homosexuality, classified as a mental illness until 2001, and show the rest of the world that gay people could be accepted in China. But officers arrived at a Beijing nightclub shortly before the Mr Gay China competition started and told organisers it was not properly licensed. They are understood to have told the venue's owners that it was "a sensitive issue".
The event was to feature a swimwear round and talent section, but contestants would also have been judged on their ability to represent the gay community. The winner was to take part in the Mr Gay Worldwide final in Norway next month.