GLQ:A Joumal of Lesbian and Gay Studies IMAGINING GAY IDENTITIES IN CHINA 461 A few men jokingly asked if anyone there knew any lesbians they could marry.Then one young man bravely began.We should all try to tell our parents that we are gay,he said,in something of a proclamatory tone.If Chinese gays were more open with their parents in this way,then things would improve for gay people in China.In this way,too,he said,he could find more personal freedom.Immedi- ately Ah Zhuang interrupted.One of the"elders"in the group-a man in his for- ties to whom many gay men have turned for advice or to mediate conflicts with their parents-Ah Zhuang had spoken with me many times,and I knew that he advocated "harmony"with one's family,which he saw as the Chinese way of main- taining social relations."Many of you know that I have worked for a long time on the hotline,"he began."I have talked with so many people through the hotline, and they like to talk to me for hours.And many of you know that I have been called on to deal with conflicts that some of us 'gay'have had with our parents." Having reminded everyone of his authority to speak on the subject,he continued. "My whole family knows I am a'gay:But we have never discussed it.In my expe- rience,dealing with so many Chinese 'gay,it is wrong to tell your parents.This is not part of Chinese culture.We Chinese must look after our parents and not bring them so much grief.What can be the result of telling your parents?Only grief for them.It is selfish to think only of yourself.Perhaps that kind of thing works else- where,but not here in China." Wang Tao,a young academic from Hong Kong,concurred.His position was well known through his books:Chinese people should not follow the Western indi- vidualist,confrontational mode of being gay.Like Ah Zhuang,Wang Tao advocates creating practices of gayness that conform to Chinese culture.He regaled the other participants with stories of Chinese men who live"harmoniously"with their par- ents without ever confronting them with their sexual lives.A fine storyteller,he humorously depicted (in a manner reminiscent of the movie The Wedding Ban- quet)how the parents finally let their sons know that they had known all along;one even encouraged the son to participate more in AIDS activism! But Lin Chuansheng spoke vehemently against Wang Tao.A rather infa- mous figure on the gay scene because of his run-in with the government,Lin Chuansheng was one of the first in China to work on AIDS and in the early 1990s had begun discussion groups for gay men about safe sex.He had also taken it upon himself to hand out safe-sex information in Dong Dan Park and other cruis- ing parks.The Central Ministry of Health-his boss-fired him and has made it impossible for him to get a job in the health field ever since.But Linzi,as he is affectionately called,has become even more politicized.He now feels that homosexuality in China is a human rights issue.In previous discussions with me Published by Duke University PressIMAGINING GAY IDENTITIES IN CHINA 46 1 A few men jokingly asked if anyone there knew any lesbians they could marry. Then one young man bravely began. We should all try to tell our parents that we are gay, he said, in something of a proclamatory tone. If Chinese gays were more open with their parents in this way, then things would improve for gay people in China. In this way, too, he said, he could find more personal freedom. Immedi￾ately Ah Zhuang interrupted. One of the “elders” in the group-a man in his for￾ties to whom many gay men have turned for advice or to mediate conflicts with their parents-Ah Zhuang had spoken with me many times, and I knew that he advocated “harmony” with one’s family, which he saw as the Chinese way of main￾taining social relations. “Many of you know that I have worked for a long time on the hotline,” he began. “I have talked with so many people through the hotline, and they like to talk to me for hours. And many of you know that I have been called on to deal with conflicts that some of us ‘gay’ have had with our parents.” Having reminded everyone of his authority to speak on the subject, he continued. “My whole family knows I am a ‘gay.’ But we have never discussed it. In my expe￾rience, dealing with so many Chinese ‘gay,, it is wrong to tell your parents. This is not part of Chinese culture. We Chinese must look after our parents and not bring them so much grief. What can be the result of telling your parents? Only grief for them. It is selfish to think only of yourself. Perhaps that kind of thing works else￾where, but not here in China.” Wang Tao, a young academic from Hong Kong, concurred. His position was well known through his books: Chinese people should not follow the Western indi￾vidualist, confrontational mode of being gay. Like Ah Zhuang, Wang Tao advocates creating practices of gayness that conform to Chinese culture. He regaled the other participants with stories of Chinese men who live “harm~niously~~ with their par￾ents without ever confronting them with their sexual lives. A fine storyteller, he humorously depicted (in a manner reminiscent of the movie The Wedding Ban￾quet) how the parents finally let their sons know that they had known all along; one even encouraged the son to participate more in AIDS activism! But Lin Chuansheng spoke vehemently against Wang Tao. A rather infa￾mous figure on the gay scene because of his run-in with the government, Lin Chuansheng was one of the first in China to work on AIDS and in the early 1990s had begun discussion groups for gay men about safe sex. He had also taken it upon himself to hand out safe-sex information in Dong Dan Park and other cruis￾ing parks. The Central Ministry of Health-his boss-fired him and has made it impossible for him to get a job in the health field ever since. But Linzi, as he is affectionately called, has become even more politicized. He now feels that homosexuality in China is a human rights issue. In previous discussions with me GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies Published by Duke University Press