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This Happened

This Happened—December 17: Australian Prime Minister Goes Missing, Forever

On December 17th, 1976, Australian prime minister Harold Holt went for a swim with friends and never returned.

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How did Harold Holt go missing?

The Prime Minister of Australia from 1966-1967, Holt was an avid outdoorsman and loved to swim in the ocean near to where he lived Portsea, Victoria. On the morning of December 17, Holt woke up in Portsea, called his wife, and went to the store. That afternoon, he suggested to friends that they all go for a swim in a particularly unsafe part of the beach. His friends stayed close to the shore, but he went deeper and was pulled out to sea.

Was Harold Holt murdered?

Although a massive search party was conducted, his body was never found and he is presumed to have died. Conspiracy stories have since erupted, saying he had committed suicide, or was a spy for the People’s Republic of China.

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LGBTQ Plus

My Wife, My Boyfriend — And Grandkids: A Careful Coming Out For China's Gay Seniors

A series of interviews in Wuhan with aging gay men — all currently or formerly married to women — reveals a hidden story of how Chinese LGBTQ culture is gradually emerging from the shadows.

Image of two senior men playing chinese Checkers.

A friendly game of Checkers in Dongcheng, Beijing, China.

Wang Er

WUHAN — " What do you think of that guy sitting there, across from us? He's good looking."

" Then you should go and talk to him."

“ Too bad that I am old..."

Grandpa Shen was born in 1933. He says that for the past 40 years, he's been "repackaged," a Chinese expression for having come out as gay. Before his wife died when he was 50, Grandpa Shen says he was was a "standard" straight Chinese man. After serving in the army, he began working in a factory, and dated many women and evenutually got married.

"Becoming gay is nothing special, I found it very natural." Grandpa Shen says he discovered his homosexuality at the Martyrs' Square in Wuhan, a well-known gay men's gathering place.

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Wuhan used to have different such ways for LGBTQ+ to meet: newspaper columns, riversides, public toilets, bridges and baths to name but a few. With urbanization, many of these locations have disappeared. The transformation of Martyrs' Square into a park has gradually become a place frequented by middle-aged and older gay people in Wuhan, where they play cards and chat and make friends. There are also "comrades" (Chinese slang for gay) from outside the city who come to visit.

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