37 Gays Held in Anti-Vice Sweep

Police have arrested 37 gay men in southern China at the start of a nationwide anti-vice campaign, a rights group and a police official said. The arrests at a gym in Guangzhou were the largest detention sweep against homosexuality yet in China, the official said by telephone from the city, a thriving provincial capital near Hong Kong. Homosexuality is illegal in China, although a relaxation of social rules over the last 20 years has created a more tolerant atmosphere. The owner and manager of the Heroes’ Gym will face criminal charges, but the other men might be released, the police official said.