Non-Profit Launched to Assist Chinese Gays and Lesbians

Information Clearinghouse for Chinese Gays and Lesbians announces fund-raising drive to expand Gaychinese.net website

LOS ANGELES – November 21, 2003 – The newly-formed Board of Directors of the Information Clearinghouse for Chinese Gays and Lesbians (ICCGL) announced today that it expects to achieve non-profit status by the end of November. The organization is currently developing plans to continue and expand a major gay Chinese-information website, Gaychinese.net, which currently records over 15,000 daily site visits from around the Chinese-speaking world.

For cultural and political reasons, the lives of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in Chinese-speaking communities are often difficult. Many Chinese people lack simple information about legal problems, relationship questions, and health issues. The United Nations predicts that China itself could have 10 million or more HIV/AIDS sufferers by 2010, and a new study of men who have sex with men in China suggests that roughly 3 percent of gay and bisexual men in the nation's capital city have HIV.

For the majority of Chinese-speaking gays and lesbians, the Web offers the only source of information, and even this arena is filled with more misinformation than sound, scientific knowledge. Gaychinese.net has sought to answer the educational need for almost four years by providing current information on HIV/AIDS and a number of other health and social concerns. The ICCGL is actively seeking corporate, organization and individual sponsorship to achieve its goal of expanding its work beyond Gaychinese.net.

Charles Lu, president of the ICCGL said, Given the Chinese population size and growth, if this situation is not addressed, an entire generation of young gays and lesbians will grow up under the
pressure of psychological abuse and for some, physical violence. Every day I feel the desperate need for basic information and it is very frustrating. We urgently need to expand our forum because without some basic sponsorship for needed expansion, we can't even use more volunteers."

Every day more than 15,000 site visits are recorded from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and many other countries in Asia, Europe and the Americas. Because the web site provides a news feed to other Chinese- language gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender sites, the actual number of individuals reached is much greater. A team of about 20 volunteer editors scan the Web and print media and translate current news stories of interest from around the world to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.

Gaychinese.net offers an advice column for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals from around the world regarding a wide range of topics such as HIV/AIDS, coming out issues, how to face social and familial pressures, and how to handle relationship problems. Over 5,000 answers have been archived and edited into a question and answer database. Gaychinese.net also offers a legal advice column which questions concerning the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community and the law, particularly the Chinese legal system. The column addresses privacy violation and extortion cases, as well as harassment by law enforcement officials.

Each day the staff of Gaychinese.net encounters men and women in the Chinese-speaking community in desperate need of advice, information, and friendly support. Stories and questions that most Americans might find shocking are commonplace for the staff of Gaychinese.net. They have included:
•   An 18-year-old boy was discovered by his parents to be gay. After enduring their abuse for months, he tried to commit suicide by cutting his wrist. At the emergency room, his fathers first words to him were you are so stupid, if youd cut your arteries, youd be dead by now."
•   A 26-year-old man was so riddled by guilt associated with masturbation that he asked if there were surgical means to make him stop.
•   Two girls in love tried for months but were unable to have sex because they did know how.
•   A young man tried to swallow a condom believing that was the only way to protect himself.
•   A wife wanted to know if her husband became gay because of her.
In addition, there are many more such examples of a community desperate for answers and education.

Gaychinese.net also provides an avenue for fledgling gay, lesbian and transgender literature. Editors work with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender authors to publish their novels, short stories and poems on- line. In the absence of a mature gay press, this feature is very popular and its effect reaches far beyond typical entertainment.

Gaychinese.net makes it possible for gays and lesbians to communicate with each other in a safe environment. For many young gays and lesbians, especially those in rural areas, it is a vital link to others just like them. The web site has several forums where open discussions with all points of view are encouraged.

ABOUT ICCGL
The International Clearinghouse for Chinese Gays and Lesbians is a non-profit California Corporation. It is served by a seven-member Board of Directors with diverse backgrounds and experience. The organization supports Gaychinese.net, a Chinese-language website serving Chinese gays and lesbians in Asia and throughout the world. For more information on how you or your organization can assist, contact Charles Lu, president of ICCGL, at 323-683-5596 or admin@gaychinese.net.