Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2001. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Reuters NewMedia - Wednesday November 14, 2001
ohn Ruwitch

And this week, the first national conference on AIDS has gone some way to bring into public view a problem of potentially catastrophic proportions for the gay community.

Gay activists hope the next step will be AIDS education and awareness programmes among the homosexual community, which can be prone to high-risk behaviour for AIDS.

"At least people are making a connection between homosexuals and AIDS, regardless of whether it's good or bad," said Zhang Yi, who organises gay nights at a Beijing bar.

His remarks suggested that for gays in China, any recognition of their existence, even in the context of AIDS, was a step in the right direction.

But Zhang and others say that after years of discriminating against homosexuals, Chinese officials have little idea how to approach the community. Gays themselves are still reluctant come out of the closet.

"Out of 100 of my friends, maybe only five let their families know they are gay. Maybe none," Zhang said.

The government appears willing to do something to address AIDS in the homosexual community, said one activist affiliated with what he called Beijing's oldest, and only free, gay and lesbian hotline.

"They know this group of people is very important and there is a lot of work to be done in this group. But they haven't fully found a way to do that," he said.

"And that's because many people have never had contact with and don't understand this group. And if they don't understand it, or can't come into contact with it, then it's impossible to do this work sincerely," he noted.

The United Nations estimates China has about 1 million carriers of HIV--the virus that causes AIDS. Chinese health officials put the figure at 600,000, but there were still only 28,133 HIV cases officially registered in the country by the end of September.

Zhang Baichuan, a doctor from the northeastern port city of Qingdao who is involved in pioneering AIDS education and awareness programmes for gay men, said the highest levels of the government already backed some AIDS programmes among homosexuals.

"Their understanding of gays is already basically connected with international standards," he said.

Last month, the official Xinhua news agency said vice-minister of health Yin Dakui had urged special attention to strengthening AIDS education among China's homosexuals.

"This is a positive message," said Wan Yanhai, an activist who runs the Beijing-based AIDS Action Project.

Despite that, however, China still does not publish statistics on homosexuals, which Wan estimated at about 100 million people, or more than 7% of the population.

And earlier this year the government attributed more than one in five of the 28,133 confirmed HIV/AIDS cases to unknown reasons, which possibly includes homosexual activity.

As with many issues in the world's most populous country, the gap in understanding between the central government and local administrations is vast when it comes to issues related to homosexuality, Zhang Baichuan said. Ignorance and prejudice are also widespread.

"My work is supported by the government. But for cultural reasons, I'm afraid change comes very slowly," he said.

But Zhang Yi said in Beijing, at least, that was changing.

"It's a lot more open now than it was even 3 years ago," he said. Police now rarely barged into the city's gay bars and harassed patrons, he pointed out.

"As long as nobody's doing anything bad, getting involved in politics or at odds with the nation, the police don't care," he added.

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