Author: Mu Chuan
I'm sure all of you who are young and gay have heard of Funky's internationally renowned and prosperous years. For 18 years, starting in 1991, Ernie Lai was the boss of Funky and was known as the "Godfather of Gay and Lesbian", even if he didn't like the title.
Funky, an internationally renowned gay nightclub, is a home and a sports birthplace.
Er recalls that it was a coincidence to run Funky at the age of 40. In order to make a living when he was young, he worked a lot of jobs and studied interior design, so he planned the interior of Funky by himself and carefully collected many decorations from all over the world. According to Er, Funky is not only a nightclub, but also a space and birthplace of gay culture and gay movement. Facing the main customer group aged 18-35, Er's business philosophy is: how to make Funky have a home-like atmosphere and take care of them so that they don't have to wander around.
Of course, running a gay bar in the early 1990s was tough. At the beginning, the business lost five or six million dollars, and when it became popular and took off, it had to face blackmail and harassment from the mob and the police. The second brother mentioned that in the old days, gay men holding hands in the new park could be arrested by the police and beaten up; gay stores were often subjected to constant discriminatory inspections by the police in the name of "violating good customs".
Because he knows that gay people were discriminated against and treated unequally, he started to use Funky as a space to promote and educate the gay movement. He uses Saturday afternoons during non-business hours to hold gay workshops on topics such as stress management, self-growth, understanding homosexuality, and sharing from old-timers. This year's Rainbow Ambassador, Jing Hong, is one of them.
The second brother is also active in the political circle and the police unit to "get to know the gays" together. From the election of political figures to the Saturday night when the funky music was stopped, Han Jiayu, the president of the founding society of Gay Chat at NTU, worked with Ergo to invite political figures (including Pang Jianguo, Chen Wenxi, Cheng Yunpeng, Lin Yihua, etc.) in to meet them or invite them to join the gay parade. Ergo stated to himself, "Even if they are doing it for the votes, I still want their hearts. Even though some people may not be receptive, I want them to respect and understand the gay community, "Fool me once and I won't let you be elected! I'm not going to let you vote for me," she said in a charming manner, with a categorical, jaded tone. He also sent information about his family background and why he started Funky to the city council, police department and police station, asking them to read it and call them to "check" it. After reading "My Lover is a Man", a police officer came to him to apologize for his unreasonable treatment of the gay community.
Recently, the issue of the Red Mansion has been raised again, and this business district, which is run by gay people, is once again "unseen by gay people". As early as 2000, Er proposed to turn the Red Mansion into a museum of Taiwan's gay culture and history, which was proposed by New Party member Wei Yilong, but was blocked by the Democratic Progressive Party.
Psychological counseling, publishing and radio hosting
Due to his own experience and the need to open Funky to meet young people, Er has also ventured into psychological counseling, publishing and radio hosting.
Now, he is teaching "family therapy" on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and he is also the director of the Lu Xuli Foundation and the Heart and Soul Workshop, continuing to work in the field of psychiatry and counseling, and doing the LGBT movement. He has also actively supervised the LGBTQ counseling and family counseling courses in the counseling department, and actually brought all these teachers and students to Funky to get to know homosexuality. He has also contributed to the "Caring Home" and counseling on AIDS issues founded by Yang Jie in the early days, and has participated in the sharing activities of the hotline elderly gay group.
He hosted two gay radio programs, one was a mood-sharing program "Midnight Kiss" produced by Chen Xiaoxia on the former "Yanggang Radio" from 1995 to 1996, where he hummed "Drunk in Your Arms" by Bai Guang, explaining that it was a song with the flavor of a one-night stand; the other was the "Gay time" program on the Voice of Taipei in 2001, which was a Monday-Friday strip program. ～He was also a guest at Lai Ming Rou's Gay time, which was produced by Leh Meng Na.
Perceptions of the parade: A different image for generations
In the first march in 2003, Er and Zhe used "Farewell My Concubine" to present the issue of gender in the form of Chinese costumes. In the subsequent rallies, he also worked with artists to make a promotional video and sponsored drinking water in the rally as a gay businessman.
In the preparation of a campaign, different ideas and routes inevitably lead to different choices and approaches. Sometimes the difference in generations also means that the approach and the point of entry of thinking are very different. However, for the younger generation, it is more important to maintain the independence of the movement and the freedom to speak about the issues. However, for the younger generation, it is even more important to maintain the independence of the movement and the freedom to speak on the issues. When Er Er suggested that "the theme of the rally should not be too political," he was contradicting the radical nature of the younger generation's desire to shake the existing structure of inequality.
When it comes to the march, he thinks there are two main points: first, what message should the LGBTQ community convey to the society in the march? Second, to connect with the world. Er said that the community should not just say "I'm gay" and cast a sad or sympathetic vote. Instead, they should look at their lives in a healthy and positive way, whether it's genetics or nurture, it's normal, and not be poisoned by the words they've been taught since childhood. And the gay side of being bullied, but also to fight.
Is the annual parade just the Waterboy's chaps? Or is it just drag queens? It's time to think about what the meaning is. At the same time, the theme should not be too political, like the carnivals in foreign countries, presenting a happy and healthy side and integrating into the community. The second brother reminded that excessive enthusiasm may also be a manifestation of suppressed emotions, and as the community becomes more positive, many negative impressions of sadness will also disappear.
Finally, he mentioned that each generation has its own image, and that he is already an old man in his 60s and cannot represent the views of the younger generation. However, what he has given to the same movement has fermented in the years and in the lives of many people.
Extended Reading: "Funky. The Gay Movement", in Raising the Rainbow Flag: My Experience in the Gay Movement, 1990-2001 (Mindworks, 2002)
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