positions Essays:Part ll The Traffic in Money Boys Lisa Rofel Why do so many gay men in China speak anxiously about what they call, using the English term,"money boys"?"Money boys"is a colloquialism in China for men who sell sex to other men.What is it about money boys' activities that lead (other)Chinese gay men to go out of their way to con- demn them and even deny that those who wish to identify as gay deserve to be called"gay"?I have had the pleasure of spending time in various gay ven- ues in Beijing,and in all of them-whether a salon discussion,film view- ing,gay bar,or private gathering in someone's home-the issue of money boys invariably emerges.The vehemence of the condemnations is striking. Gay men I have spoken with about money boys claim they inappropriately blur the boundaries between sex and love,they exploit gay men,they are dangerous,and they are rural migrants just looking for work in the big city-implying both that they are not really gay and that they should either p0 sition518:2Do110.12151o679847-2010-009 Copyright zoto by Duke University Press Published by Duke University PressEssays: Part II The Traffic in Money Boys Lisa Rofel Why do so many gay men in China speak anxiously about what they call, using the English term, “money boys”? “Money boys” is a colloquialism in China for men who sell sex to other men. What is it about money boys’ activities that lead (other) Chinese gay men to go out of their way to con￾demn them and even deny that those who wish to identify as gay deserve to be called “gay”? I have had the pleasure of spending time in various gay ven￾ues in Beijing, and in all of them— whether a salon discussion, film view￾ing, gay bar, or private gathering in someone’s home— the issue of money boys invariably emerges. The vehemence of the condemnations is striking. Gay men I have spoken with about money boys claim they inappropriately blur the boundaries between sex and love, they exploit gay men, they are dangerous, and they are rural migrants just looking for work in the big city—implying both that they are not really gay and that they should either positions 18:2 doi 10.1215/10679847-2010-009 Copyright 2010 by Duke University Press positions Published by Duke University Press