IntheUnitedStatesandEuropetoday，themainpublicdebatesconcerntheprecisescopeoflegalprotectionsthatshouldbeprovidedtogaypeople.InChina，wherethepublicdebatesarejustbeginning，themainissuesarewhether（orhow）abasicunderstandingandacceptanceofhomosexualitycanbedevelopedwithinbroaderChinesesociety，andwhether（orhow）gaypeoplecanlivemorehonestlyandopenly.Thesetwoissuesareobviouslyrelated.Greateropennessdevelopswherethereisgreaterpublictolerance.Butitisalsotruethatgreaterpublictolerancedevelopswherethereisgreateropennesswhereasufficientnumberofgaypeoplehavethecouragetobemorevisibleandhonestandopen.Opennessmakesclearthatpeoplewithdifferentsexualorientationsarewithinourcirclesofaffectionandrespectmembersofourfamily，friends，workcolleagues，communityleaders.Opennessputsahumanfaceontheissuethatitselfcanpromotegreatertolerance.
Asimilarpointcanbemadeaboutlegalprotectionsinthisarea.Ontheonehand，itseemsunlikelythatlegalprotectionsforgaypeoplewillcomeaboutuntilthereisgreateropennessbygaypeopleandgreatereffortsbythemtoadvancelegalprotections.Ontheotherhand，legalprotectionsthemselvesseemtobeanimportantingredientinencouragingmoreopenness.Thissuggeststhattheremaybereasonstoprohibitdiscriminationbasedonsexualorientationevenifthereislittleevidencethatsuchdiscriminationcurrentlyexists.Discriminationmaynotbewidespreadbecausefewgaypeopleareopenabouttheirsexualorientation；therisksaretoogreat.Thusthepurposeofananti-discriminationlawmaybetoreducetherisksofopennessratherthantoabolishexistingdiscrimination.
AttheJanuaryworkshop，theChineseparticipantsaskedtheforeignparticipantsmanyquestionsabouttheresearchandexperienceinourcountriesconcerningtheseissues.Butforus，thepresumedexperts，theworkshopwasverymuchaneducation.WhatishappeninginChina，inthisareaasinsomanyothers，isacomplexstorythatinsomerespectsisreproducingandinsomerespectsistransformingthestoryinothersocieties.Itwasaprivilegeforustoparticipateintheworkshop，anditisaprivilegeforustojoinwithourChinesecolleaguesinthepublicationofthisimportantbook.
PaulGewirtz
PotterStewartProfessorofConstitutionalLawand
Director，TheChinaLawCenter
YaleUniversityLawSchool
November2006
Homosexuality：AnswerstoFrequently
AskedQuestions
ByJohnBalzanoandAlfredoB.Silva
1.Whatishomosexuality？
Homosexualitygenerallyreferstoasexualorientationcharacterizedbylastingaestheticattraction，romanticlove，andsexualdesireexclusivelyforthoseofthesamesex.Itisusuallycontrastedwithheterosexuality，sexualandromanticattractiontoanindividualoftheoppositesex，andbisexuality，attractiontobothsexes.Theterm“homosexuality”intruthhasmanycompetingdefinitionsandconnotationsandhasevolvedinmeaningovertimeindifferentplacesandcultures.Homosexualitynowoftendescribesmorethanjustanindividual’ssexualbehavior；rather，itdescribesthefeelingsandrelationshipsthatmakeupahealthyandsatisfyingself-identityforhomosexualpeople.
2.IshomosexualityaWesternconcept？
HomosexualityisnotentirelyaWesternconstruct.Whileitistruethathomosexualityasaconceptreferringto“exclusive”sexualorientationoriginatedinWesternmedicalliteratureoveracenturyago，relationshipsandattractionbetweenpeopleofthesamesexhaveexistedallovertheworldthroughoutnearlyallperiodsofrecordedhistory.Westernhistoryisrepletewithfiguresknowntohavehadsame-sexrelationships，includingSocrates，EdwardII，JuliusCaesar，Michelangelo，andAlexandertheGreat.Examplesofsame-sexloveandrelationshipsalsoappearthroughoutJapaneseandChinesehistoryandancientliterature.Anthropologistsstudyingsame-sexrelationshipsofNativeAmericanandAfricantribeshaveuncoveredatraditionofsame-sexmarriagesbetweenmalesinthoseareasaswell.
Tocallallofthesepeople“homosexuals”，however，mightbeconsideredaninappropriateapplicationofamodernconstructionofsexualidentitytoatimewhentherewasnohomosexuality-heterosexualitydichotomy.Itwasgenerallynotuntilthelasthundredyearsthatpeopleallovertheworldbegantoidentifythemselvesashomosexualandviewitmoreasanidentity，withasurroundingculture，thanasatypeofbehavior.
3.Whatissexualorientation？
Sexualorientationreferstoanindividual’snaturalsexualinclination.Itisnotthesamethingasa“sexualpreference”，whichimpliesthatthereisachoiceinvolved.Individualsgenerallyfallinoneofthreecategoriesinthisrespect.Homosexualindividualsdesireothersofthesame-sex.Heterosexualsareinclinedtowardsmembersoftheoppositesex.Bisexualsareinclinedtowardsmembersofboththesameandoppositesex.
4.Istransgenderasexualorientation？
No，transgender，sometimesalsoreferredtoastranssexual，isnotasexualorientation.Someonewhoistransgenderdoesnotnecessarilyhavedesiresforthesamesex.Transgenderrefersexclusivelytoone’sconceptionandexpressionofone’sowngender.Forexample，amanwhochangeshissextofemalemaycontinuetodesirewomen.Thetermtransgenderincludesthosewhoundergosexreassignmentsurgeryaswellasthosewhoexpresstheirgenderinotherways，suchasthroughdress（transvestites）.
5.Howmanygaysarethereintheworld？