A gentleman returning from San Francisco briefed the participants on the tolerant social environment to sexual minorities there. It was suggested that gays and lesbians should come out of closet and face the society in order to show that we are the same normal and healthy, and that sexual orientation should not be the used as a stigma. As to the heredity of homosexuality, I expressed my disagreement with the “irrelevance” argument. The scientific findings, ranging from brain research to gene studies,  provide a strong arguement for sexual minorities to refute the  position that being gay is a matter of  “choice.”  When ignorance, indifference and hostility toward gays and lesbians still prevail, the argument of the heredity of homosexuality can help the gay community win understanding and support from the general public. 

A bisexual man from Zhengzhou, Hunan Province expressed his pleasant surprise at the seriousness and vigor of the discussion.  He openly told his girlfriend of his attraction to the same sex.  His girlfriend did not break up with him.  They got married instead.  Moreover, she has been looking for information on same-sex love for him. 

A gentleman from Northeastern China and presently working in Beijing talked about his coming-out experience with his parents and his colleagues.  Whenever somebody asks why he remains single, he just says that he is not attracted to women. His colleagues seem to have accepted him and they continue a smooth professional relationship in the workplace. He iterated that career development and economic independence shielded him from any possible pressure. 

A lesbian also told her story with her friends. She once mentioned to a friend of hers that fashion designer Gianni Versace was  gay.  Her friend expressed disgust and referred to being gay as “sick.”  She was appalled and could not remain calm for a while. She decided to speak out; otherwise she would be called "sick" forever.  After telling her friend that she was a lesbian, she asked whether she looked sick. Her friend shook her head.  Later her colleagues also learned that she was a lesbian, but she has not experienced any rejection or hostility from them. 

One participant pointed out that ignorance is the main reason for the prejudice against homosexuals and homosexuality.  Many people could not articulate why they felt uncomfortable with gays and lesbians. Several years ago, one woman said that she felt embarrassed whenever hearing the word “homosexuality.”  After getting to know some lesbians, she found that they had excelled in their careers and had been enjoying life as well.  This is a totally different image from what she had pictured.  Her self-perception went through a complete change.  In her opinion, it is very important to let the public know us because people still harbor the obsolete thinking that being gay is unhealthy and sick.  A process of change is mandatory. 

Throughout the talks,  participants agreed on the urgent need for improving the community and winning the understanding of the society.  It was also suggested that we should be tolerant of those who do not understand us.  On the other hand, help and support should also be provided for those with emotional problems and in self denial. 

An assistance hot line service based in Beijing announced its number again: (010)68338800 call 99575. Service is available from 19:00 - 22:00 every Tuesday and Thursday, and 12:00 -18:00 every Saturday. It was said that the Lemon Tree Cafe would launch its own hot line very soon. 

Orienbow would express his thanks to the Lemon Tree Cafe and the Hot line and would like to help promote their work.  We hope that, through the power of the internet, help will be provided to anyone in any corner of the world, and any call for help will reach us. Please mention Orienbow (http://members.xoom.com/orienbow) when you contact the Lemon Tree Cafe and the Hot line. In case of any inconvenience, Orienbow will be glad to pass on your message.

CSSSM is an independent alliance of students, scholars and other professionals across the world who are interested in promoting gay affirmation in the Chinese culture, with a focus on mainland China. 

2.  What are the guidelines for CSSSM’s work? 

The present main task is to disseminate gay affirmative information to reduce prejudice against sexual minorities.  We have been filling in the blanks of understanding homosexuality in the Chinese culture.  The efforts have proven to be very effective in boosting the self-confidence of the sexual minorities as well as winning sympathy and support from the educated class.  CSSSM’s focus on information dissemination helps make it possible that when a public debate on homosexuality is once opened in China, the gay community and their supporters will be equipped with enough factual gay affirmative information to back up their arguments. 
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3.  How does the situation in China affect the strategy of CSSSM? 

The strategy of CSSSM is affected by both the historical context of the Chinese culture as well as the on-going social changes in the current Chinese society. 

1)  Religion has a much less substantial influence in China than in the west.  Buddhism does not have anything to say with regards to homosexuality.  Christianity and Islam has never achieved dominance in social ideology.  The atheist nature of communist doctrines have also deeply undercut the significance of religion. “Advocate Science and Eliminate Superstition” has been an official policy for decades and have been accepted by the majority of the people. Citing from religious scripture to attack homosexuality (or any other issue) has never been a popular or effective tactic in the past five decades. 

2) Prejudice against sexual minorities mainly comes from tradition which values marriage and procreation (especially for male offspring), but this tradition has lost its power of persuasion after two decades of the policy of mandatory birth-control.  Many people, including the majority of mental health professionals, still feel uncomfortable with homosexuality, but they can hardly articulate their opposition to it. 

3) One important heritage in the Chinese culture is to value education and scholarship above anything else.  The thirst for learning and knowledge has been greatly appreciated and praised throughout the history.  To cater to the needs of the general public, the information published by CSSSM covers a wide range of disciplines from psychology, sociology, economics, political science, to history, political science, literature, etc., in order to convey progressiveness and persuasion in a diverse and non-threatening fashion. 

As we have seen from above, gay advocacy in the name of science and education in China will be a much more effective strategy than using the enemy-identifying-and-conflict-seeking tact. 

Homosexuality is still classified as a mental disorder in China, which means gays and lesbians are subject to medical treatment.  There are some mental health professionals who have been advocating the depathologization of homosexuality in the past six or seven years. Because of censorship, their voice so far has only been heard within the mental health circles. 

Since the open-door policy was launched at the end of  the 1970s, the issue of homosexuality has been receiving slowly increasing attention in the public media, but the general public still knows very little about homosexuality. Because of a deep-rooted tradition which values marriages and procreation and official censorship on information flow,  gay affirmative information is extremely scarce.  Two consequences have occurred under these circumstances: 

1) Gay and lesbians do not have a good self-understanding and many perceive themselves in the same light as does social prejudice.  Some mental health professionals have been calling for gay counseling, but no specific programs is available yet.  On the contrary, the majority of the Chinese mental health professionals still consider homosexuality as a mental disorder and many lesbians and gays are considered “sick” not only by their family, but also by themselves.  Apart from those who are out in the gay communities in large cities, the vast majority of Chinese gays and lesbians can not find anyone to talk to about their inner feelings. Depression is common and suicidal intention is not rarely heard among sexual minorities. 

2) Gays and lesbians have been facing tremendous pressure from their families and friends to get married when reaching adulthood.  Some want to come out to their parents in an attempt to get rid of the pressure, but they can not find any gay affirmative information in the Chinese language for their parents to read.  Gay-related books published in Hong Kong and Taiwan are not available to readers in mainland China. 

The censorship on gay topics seems to be loosened since the later part of last year.  Two more books, one of which is on AIDS prevention with a substantial chapter dedicated to homosexuality, were published.  From August 1997 until April 1998, a mental health journal in Zhejiang Province launched the first open debate among mental health professinals on the depathologization of homosexuality.  A women’s magazine “Hope” has dedicated their issue of June 1998 to a discussion of homosexuality, in which almost all participants agreed that being gay is neither a crime nor a mental disorder.  Although these changes have been occurring in a very low-key profile, it has created a very favorable atmosphere for CSSSM’s work, and CSSSM has also been contributing to the development. 

As CSSSM’s strong hold is in North America, it should be taken into consideration that almost all Chinese here from the mainland have come to the US and Canada to pursue an education, which helps shape the nature of CSSSM. 

4. How is information disseminated? 

A lot of writing is involved here.  We resort to the internet, the most cost-effective channel to conduct our work.  Apart from the biweekly internet magazine Tao Hong Man Tian Xia, which has published 35 issues (about 280 articles) so far in the last 11 months, we are also starting a translation project once the funds are obtained. 

Right now, there are close to 1 million internet users in China, but censorship there has made it difficult for users to access foreign sites., CSSSM compiled a mailing list of 500 peoples from a gay site launched from China featuring personal ads and regularly send our publications to these readers.  Some readers voluntarily distribute the information to others.   We also constantly receive requests from China for subscriptions.  Contributors have also been recruited from readers. 

Mr. Wan Yanhai, one of the founders of CSSSM, is now working in Beijing and has been coordinating CSSSM’s work in China.  His persistent dedication has been pivotal in expanding CSSSM’s influence there. 

5.  Has the magazine been censored in China in the underground circulation?  Or, has anyone encountered any problem with the government for distributing the information? 

Not yet so far.  Our strategy is strongly linked  to the needs of sexual minorities in China, and to the general situation there as well.  Firstly, the gay community in the mainland is hardly politically motivated, and many consider it possible to achieve personal happiness without conflicting with the current political system.  As our work serves this group of people, shouting slogans in an attempt to stir their feeling would only alienate ourselves from the gay community at large. 

When publishing the information, we bear in mind that the receivers will encounter no personal danger or inconvenience when he/she shares the information with others.  Several factors account for this strategy which might help explain the somewhat different situation in China. 

1)  Homosexuality hasn’t been criminalized in mainland China since 1949.  Although gays were arrested in the name of hooliganism, cases like this drastically decreased since mid 1980s.  Nowadays offenders are only those who try to engage in sex in the public area.  Gay advocacy should theoretically be allowed by the constitution. 

2)  Although homosexuality is still a sensitive topic, CSSSM’s work is not and cannot be labeled as subversive because of our emphasis on science and education, which fits into the need of the development of China. Our principle of work is “less ideology, more work.”  The success of our work has been demonstrated in the past year.  Our publications can now be openly viewed in some BBS in China (these sites explicitly warn “no discussion of politics”). Some readers volunteer to distribute the publication in the gay bars and discos. 

“Underground” might not be the most suitable word to describe the nature of our work.  “Semi-open” might be a better description.  On one hand, commercial release of our publication is still not allowed.  On the other hand, our information dissemination does not invite troubles from the state or the police. As one reader put it: “The government certainly does not like your work, but you have given them no reason for trouble.” 

(Image if we started the magazine with a diatribe on the government, who would dare to publicize it?  Moreover, what is the point of disseminating information if the recipient would just drop the information like a hot potato?  Ultimately, this  “anger-venting” strategy would only make the debate self-capsulated and serves no practical purpose.) 

Recently the gay newsletter Aizhi Action in Beijing has reprinted several issues of our magazine in whole and sent them to readers across the nation.  Members of CSSSM have joined the Beijing volunteer group as editors and contributors to Aizhi Action.  We are also maintaining a good relationship with mental health professionals who support the depathologization of homosexuality. 

6.  Despite its growing influence in China, why is CSSSM not so well known in the media? 

First of all, CSSSM was founded last September;  A very short history so far.  Secondly, all active members are volunteers who can only devote time and energy in the evening and on weekends.  We are not able to attend as many conferences or seminars as we like to expand our influence, or to get ourselves known. 

Secondly, homosexuality is still generally treated as a taboo in the Chinese media.  Moreover, media groups are also very cautious in approaching overseas organizations, many of which are labeled as “subversive” by the government. Therefore, CSSSM has not been featured in any official media in China yet. 

Thirdly, as CSSSM is a professional study group which is more interested in establishing affiliations with professional organizations than deliberately seeking publicity in the press or in political conventions, many of which have been considered as anti-China not only by the Chinese government, but also by the Chinese people.  Winning trust from the general public in China is pivotal to the success of CSSSM, and CSSSM’s strategy of low profile and “quiet diplomacy” reflect the needs of the people in China. 

Fourthly, almost all of our work has been conducted in the Chinese language.  We have received requests from some non-Chinese supporters who would like us to publicize more information in English, but this is faced with severe difficulties. 

1)   Some of the requests are regarding the persecution of sexual minorities in China.  Well, information like this is quite difficult to come by, given that we are not officially sanctioned in China and therefore do not have access to the archive.  Secondly, the few cases we have heard happened in the mid 1980s and does not reflect the current situation.  China has changed so much in the past two decades.  Although gays, lesbians and other sexual minorities are still subject to strong prejudice, it is not in their best interest to exaggerate the plight or improvement for any possible political gains.   One interesting example, a while ago someone requested the information in the CSSSM internet newsgroup regarding the persecution of gays in China.  Angry responses flooded in from Chinese readers in the mainland who not only strongly questioned the assumption of this type of exploration, but also considered the persecution argument counterproductive to the development of  the gay community there.   The prevailing demonization of China in the western media has also made people in China quite wary of foreign journalists for fear of their comments or responses being misquoted for motives other than what they wish to express. 

2)  Working in the Chinese language, access to internet and interest in gay studies or the gay movement are also big natural constraints here.  a) There are a large number of Chinese students and professionals in the US, but we have a problem in reaching them because many of them are extremely closeted; b) Although the internet provides the most effective channel for communication, not everybody has access to a computer.  Even for those who have a computer, not all of them have the software to view or write documents in Chinese;  c) like every gay community, many gays and lesbians wish to improve their personal lives (e.g., finding a partner is the ultimate goal for many), but not many are interested in anything that is even slightly politically related;  d) As CSSSM focuses on information dissemination, writing and translating have been two major tasks, but they seem to be quite daunting to some readers.  We have received some messages from readers who expressed interest in participating, but once we sent them articles for translation, we never heard from them any more.  The proficiency in foreign languages is another problem, especially when it comes to some scholarly materials which demand some background knowledge;  e) Right now we have very few contributors in China and the US.  But even for these 5 to 6 volunteers, all of us are full-time students or professionals who can only devote evening time to the CSSSM work.  As our influence grows, hopefully more people will join us. 

3)  First of all, English is also a foreign language for all of us.  Although we have little problem in translating English materials into Chinese, writing in English or translating Chinese materials into English is a quite different matter.  As all volunteers only have limited time available to contribute, we consider it more fruitful to devote our time in working in the Chinese language.  For example, an article in Chinese will be read by tens of thousands of people there, but an article in English might only interest 10 or 100 people here.  Moreover, much of the information we can provide would inevitably overlap the studies published here.  For example, the anti-discrimination struggle is quite similar across cultures and nations, and an article translated from Chinese might just reflect the same view expressed by Larry Kramer 30 years ago.  In short, publishing in Chinese has lower marginal cost, but much higher marginal benefits, and is therefore much more time and cost effective. 

The coverage of gay-related information in the Chinese press has been very scarce in general.  This is another reason we have had problems in supplying information for the interested parties in the US. 

7. How is CSSSM funded? 

Currently CSSSM has been keeping minimal operation costs which is born by member donations. All funds so far have been channeled back to China to cover the expenses of publishing gay affirmative information.  The expansion of our influence is contingent on available funds, so donations or information regarding funding sources are extremely welcome. 

8. In what way can non-Chinese speakers contribute to the CSSSM work? 

We strongly encourage professional groups here to have a dialogue with the corresponding groups in China who are much more receptive to opinions of their colleagues abroad than politicians abroad.  The tradition for the respect of education and scholarship also renders more persuasion for professional groups.  Recently APA (American Psychological Association) sent a letter to CPA (Chinese Psychiatric Association) urging the necessity of depathologilization of homosexuality.  The Task Force for the Demedicalization of Homosexuality, composed of members  in CPA, responded very positively to this exchange of professional opinion. 

The Chinese government encourages bilateral scholarly exchanges.  Inviting researchers or scholars to China who are interested in gay studies will also help mobilize changes.  Concerns can also be addressed by attending some professional seminars held in China.  It is also a very good idea to invite Chinese researchers in gay studies to professional conferences abroad.  There have been tens of thousands of scholars of gay studies in the west, but there are only five to six in China.  If one more person emerges or matures in the mainland, it would contribute greatly to the gay liberation there. 

There is one gay newsletter (Aizhi Action) and one gay magazine (“Friends”) now released in China.  As no publisher would sponsor the commercial release, they are now funded by donations.  Any financial support of these two newsletters will be welcome here. 

Any information forwarded to us will be strongly welcomed.  Recommendations of publishable articles, news reports will also help our work. 

The current situation in China very much resembles that in Europe or the United States in 50’s and early 60’s when homosexuality was considered a perversion by the public and a mental disorder by the medical professionals.  Luckily so much information has been generated since then.  CSSSM feels very privileged to be able to benefit from achievements here.  For example, now we have some quite solid, albeit  not conclusive, evidence of the heredity of homosexuality, to use on our behalf, although we hold that the gay rights movement does not need to be contingent upon whether being gay is a matter of nature or nurture, but a matter of civil rights, dignity and freedom.