|
China's homosexuals mark small steps toward equal rights
By Steve Friess
May 9, 2004
Hong Kong - Rager Shen smiled broadly and spoke calmly, seemingly oblivious to
how shocking his story was to many in his midst.
"I came out to my mother recently," the 21-year-old from Shanghai told an
audience of several dozen other Chinese homosexuals, or "tonghzi."
"I always wanted to tell her that I am gay, and finally, I did it."
Many in the crowd were quietly impressed, but said later they could never do
such a thing. Others questioned the slight, spiky-haired college freshman in a
bright-orange polo shirt about whether he had merely unburdened himself by
burdening his mother.
Shen said that despite his mother's anguished response -- she confined him to
their home and briefly confiscated his cellphone -- he was certain he did the
right thing because "I want her to know me."
His comments last week at the Tongzhi Conference outside Hong Kong make him
something of a revolutionary, and the rest of the audience was participating in
the revolution just by being at the meeting. For the group, made up mostly of
people from mainland China who were able to come to Hong Kong because of
recently relaxed travel restrictions, the gathering was an important, if small
step toward earning equality.
And despite their reticence about coming out of the closet, an act that is
fundamental to the gay rights movement of the West, the 80 gays and lesbians at
the gathering are among the most politically active and committed in China,
Hong Kong, and Taiwan.
The conference, at a remote seaside resort cradled by lush tropical hills, was
so secretive that attendees were not told until the week before where it would
be held, and only one journalist was invited.
Donning rainbow lanyards that displayed their name badges, attendees listened
to lectures on coming out, safe sex, and same-sex dating, among other issues.
Such topics might seem commonplace for gays in the West, but they were new for
many in the audience at the conference, the first held in Hong Kong since 1999.
"We have come together to brainstorm and strategize about where the tongzhi
movement should be and to reflect on what has transpired in the last few
years," organizer Chung To, whose nonprofit Chi Heng Foundation sponsored the
event, said in opening remarks. Chi Heng is the region's largest gay
organization, with an annual budget of $250,000 that includes $90,000 from the
United Nations to fight the rapid spread of HIV on the mainland.
Perhaps the most significant development since the last conference has been the
explosion of Chinese websites oriented to gays, now estimated by Chung to
exceed 300. Government censors have not been aggressive in curtailing Internet
content dealing with homosexuality, even as they ban books and films on the
subject. Thousands of gays and lesbians turn to online chat rooms and message
boards to ease their isolation.
The medium was so important in helping Echo Chen, 29, of Shanghai, cope with
her sexual orientation that she now hosts a site, www.lescn.net, that
broadcasts what is thought to be China's first lesbian radio program. The
two-year-old site has 15,000 registered users and is supported in part by
donations from four Chinese-American lesbians in the United States, she said.
"I was so pleased to find out there were other girls like me," Chen said,
recalling her discovery of gay websites during her mid-20s. "I confirmed my
identity on the Internet."
The status of gay rights varies across China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Only in
Hong Kong are homosexual acts explicitly legal, under a 1991 law passed during
British control. The island city, which was returned to China in 1997, boasts
one of Asia's busiest gay club scenes.
Taiwan, meanwhile, hosted the first Chinese gay pride parade in November.
Legislation was introduced last year to allow gay couples to "found a family
and adopt children," but it was later shelved. Taiwanese attendees at the
Tongzhi Conference said they do not expect such adoptions to be allowed for at
least a decade because the culture is not ready.
Such an attitude frustrates Chung, who thinks coming out will lead to more
acceptance because the topic will seem less taboo.
"The problem with Chinese people is that when they get a little bit of freedom,
they think, 'Oh, this is it,' " he said. "Why join a revolution unless you are
so oppressed that you can't bear it anymore?"
But Roy Birchard, a gay activist from San Francisco who attended the
conference, said the gathering reminded him of the earliest days of the US gay
rights movement. Birchard was a member of the Gay Activists Alliance, an
advocacy group in the 1970s in New York City.
"This is a very important, inspiring event," said Birchard, who added that he
became interested in gay Asian issues through a Taiwanese lover who died of
AIDS. "This is historic stuff. There will be history books written about this
conference."
Copyright 1999-2004, AsianSexGazette.com. All rights reserved. No
content may be reproduced in whole or part without written permission.
Please contact us via the link below for re-print and syndication policies.
|
|
Dirty
Movies
2-10-2004
Singapore
may ease gay sex ban
1-7-2004
Same-sex
marriage: Pandora's box ready to open?
6-25-2003
|
