Gay in China

Gay Life in China:

China is the forth largest country in the world with a population of approximately 1.3 billion people. The Chinese forum portal ChinaBBS.com estimates that there could be as many as 30 million gays and lesbians living in China, although the actual number is unclear. Few 'comrades' or 'tongzhi'—slang for homosexual—live openly due to social/cultural pressures and lack of awareness.

"On the mainland, being homosexual is still very hard," China Daily reports one man as saying. "Under pressure from families and society, most homosexual people dare not reveal their sexual orientation and have to get married to someone of the opposite sex.

However, the producers of the new Internet TV show, Tongxing Xianglian or "Connecting Homosexuals," hope to change public perception of Chinese gays, according to an AP report. The show describes itself as the country's first show to focus on gay issues with the nation's first openly gay host, Didier Zheng.

The formal Chinese word for homosexual is 'tongxinglian.'

Gay Rights in China:

The Chinese government's attitude and treatment of gays has steadily increased since the persecution of gays during the Cultural Revolution. Sodomy was decriminalized in 1997 and the Chinese Psychiatric Association stopped listing homosexuality as a mental illness in 2001. Shanghai's Fudan University also introduced its first undergraduate course on homosexuality in 2005.

Government Support for Gays:

In response to record new HIV infections in China, the government has launched several support and awareness campaigns. In May of 2006, a national hotline was launched in both Guangzhou and Shanghai to provide emotional, psychological and legal help. The "Forum for Comrades" which also encourages LGBT Chinese to reach out and discuss issues, was launched with little success in August of 2006.

Media outlets such as print, TV, and web sites are heavily censored by the Chinese government, which may contribute to the low number of citizens taking advantage of the national services such as the forum and hotlines.

Gay Marriage in China:

In the past, proposals to legalize gay unions have been unsuccessfully submitted to the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China's political advisory board. This implies that same-sex marriage is not legal in China. However, unlike gay adoption, the Chinese government does not explicitly state whether same-sex marriage is legal or not. (Also see: Gay Marriage Around the World)

Gay Adoption in China:

The Marriage Law of the People's Republic of China does not allow adoption by same-sex couples. (Also see: Gay Adoption in the U.S.)

HIV in China:

China is seeing record numbers of new HIV infections and gay Chinese are seen as a high-risk population. For a description of the HIV epidemic in China, read the in-depth report HIV Around the World - China.