Xu Wei/Shanghai Daily news

Volunteer staff members of the Chi Heng Foundation, Steven Gu (left) and Yu Tian, check their material in the foundation’s Shanghai office. The non-governmental organization now has about 200 volunteers around the country, more than 20 of whom are based in Shanghai. — Shen Kai

It is 10:30pm on a Sunday and, as usual, Yu Tian is demon-strating the use of condoms in an out-of-the-way garden in Yangpu District. His weekly audience consists mainly of gay men.
A staff member of the Chi Heng Foundation - a Hong Kong-based non-governmental organization mainly engaged in AIDS-related projects - Yu started his work, first as a volunteer, in June last year when he found out about the foundation from his part-time work in a local gay bar.
"This outreach work - usually twice a week - is very meaningful to me," Yu says. "In addition to providing free condoms, we also stage mini dramas at gay venues advocating safe sex and we have also set up hot lines to offer them legal aid and psychological support."
And the gathering in the small garden is only part of the story. From 7pm to 9:30pm, there's a weekend neighborhood ball well-known in the local gay community for its cheap admission of 5 yuan (61 US cents). Between 300 and 400 people attend the ball.
At the ball, to the accompaniment of nostalgic Chinese folk songs, some men dance with their partners while others chat in the lobby.
And Ming Ming (not his real name), clad in a striped blue shirt, is an eye-catching figure at the ball. He is well known in the gay community for his skillful dancing.
"Actually 'Aunt Hong,' an impressive character in the pantomime 'Yimeng Eulogy,' is my favorite role on stage," he says. "We have recently presented a group 'transvestite' dancing act which beats the performances of other groups from other provinces."
However, the smiles and calm looks on the faces of Ming Ming and his partners cannot hide the painful discrimination most of them have to face in their day-to-day lives.
Outreach work
"Homosexuality has long been thought of as 'unethical' or as a symptom of a mental disorder," says Steven Gu, a colleague of Yu with the foundation. "Even today, these men have to overcome strong opposition to be finally accepted by Chinese society."
Apart from AIDS-related projects, the Chi Heng Foundation is also involved in projects concerned with tongzhi (gay) community building. It now has about 200 volunteers around the country and more than 20 in Shanghai. The volunteers are trained in AIDS prevention work and learn communication skills before starting their outreach work at MSM (men who have sex with men). Their work takes them to a variety of gay venues - gay bars, gay cruising parks, toilets and gay bath houses and saunas.
"A challenge for us is how to approach this sensitive group of men in a natural way," Yu says. "At first they are usually hostile to us and refuse our help. But after we talk with them and invite them for snacks and organize some gatherings, they gradually begin to accept us as friends."
Yu recalls that once a gay man asked for help after being blackmailed several times.
"He was in a panic. He's afraid to call on the police," Yu says. "After consulting our legal expert, he changed his mind - he needs protection, just like anybody else who is in danger. After that, he came to trust us which gave our volunteers a great sense of fulfillment."
Lack of funds and volunteers and pressures from their own families are other obstacles and challenges confronting Yu and his colleagues. Most of the volunteers conceal their identity at work in case their families will worry about their safety or because of misunderstandings about their work.
Poor understanding of homosexuality also leads to misapprehension, suspicion and scorn from the general public. Some people even tend to associate gay people with HIV/AIDS patients.
"Apart from the gay love stories of Wong Kar-wai's 'Happy Together' and Stanley Kwan's 'Lan Yu,' I have little idea about this somewhat mysterious group," says Caroline Chen, a local university student. "Though I am curious about them, I seldom talk about homosexuality with my parents, who are conservative and have a prejudice against homosexuals."
However, a sociology course on this sensitive subject at Shanghai's prestigious Fudan University is a significant step forward.
Since September, when Associate Professor Sun Zhongxin from the Sociology Department of Fudan started an elective undergraduate course entitled "Homosexual Research," she has found herself lecturing to packed auditoriums of students every Wednesday evening. Some of those listeners are from off the campus.
Common stereotype
"Traditionally, courses on sexual sociology, social gender, sexual health and on feminism only included homosexuality as a tangent," says Sun. "But elective courses devoted to the issue, seldom seen in the country at present, are a first at local universities."
Unlike a postgraduate course on homosexual health first launched by Professor Gao Yanning from Fudan University's Institute of Public Health in 2003, Sun's class looks at a wider range of issues.
Each week, it attracts more than 150 students, many of whom have to take the class sitting on the floor. Cynthia Wu, a senior in Fudan's sociology course, is one of the students.
"With various topics covering AIDS prevention, MSM, lesbianism and 'rent boys,' the course gives us an opportunity to know and understand this community," she says. "The common stereotype about it is shattered."
According to Sun, students are not only required to read a number of references but also have to submit their own research papers based on face-to-face interviews with homosexuals.
The Chi Heng Foundation is a co-organizer of the class, which sponsors experts such as Professor Zhang Beichuan from Qingdao University, Pan Suiming, a renowned sociologist and film director Stanley Kwan to give lectures to the class.
Professor Zhang and most sociologists in China estimate that there are 30 million homosexuals on the Chinese mainland. Few of them are willing to acknowledge publicly that they are gay or lesbian.
"It is still a conservative estimation," Professor Zhang says. "A majority of homosexuals are ready to marry or are married because of family pressure or to cover-up their true sexual orientation."
In China, homosexuality is still a new term. Experts say that the first thing to do to improve this situation is to raise people's understanding and "tolerance" toward it.
"There is no need to regard homosexuals as being 'special' or 'different'," says Associate Professor Sun. "It is improper to judge people based on their sexual orientation or to ignore their basic interests merely because they're in a minority."
Sun's view is echoed by Chi Heng Foundation staff Steven Gu.
"Perhaps a good way is to consider them as 'left-handers'," Gu suggests. "I believe that as our society continues to develop, homosexuality will not be stigmatized. Instead, people will take a more open and tolerant attitude toward them."