Screenshot of chat page
Sequence of Events
In the early hours of June 27, 2026, local police entered a private residence in an unspecified Chinese city where a large gathering of men was underway. All 72 people present were detained.
Chat records that subsequently circulated on social media indicated that the organizer had recruited participants through a dedicated group chat, applying strict appearance-based screening criteria. Two earlier gatherings of similar scale had reportedly taken place on June 18, with approximately 70 attendees, and June 19, with approximately 55. The June 26–27 event had drawn around 70 sign-ups, with 72 people ultimately present when authorities arrived.
Community Response
Following the news, activity in several local social group chats dropped sharply. Individuals who had planned to attend a second event scheduled for the evening of June 27 canceled their plans. Some who had participated in multiple previous gatherings began deleting chat histories and leaving related group chats.
Background
Chinese law does not explicitly criminalize same-sex conduct between consenting adults. However, large-scale private gatherings may attract public order enforcement or other administrative action depending on circumstances. The organizer's use of online channels to recruit participants across multiple cities, combined with rapidly escalating event sizes, is widely cited as a key factor in how the gathering came to the attention of authorities.
Asian Editorial Department: Lu Junxiu