Preface1
ThisbookisaproductofanextraordinaryWorkshopheldinShanghai，China，inJanuary2006，co-hostedbyFudanUniversity’sSchoolofSocialDevelopmentandPublicPolicyandYaleUniversityLawSchool’sChinaLawCenter.TheWorkshopandthisbookareyetfurtherexamplesofthestronglinkagesandcooperationbetweenYaleUniversityandFudanUniversitythathavedevelopedoverthepastdecade，andthatnowencompassawiderangeofactivitiesthatcontinuetoyieldgreatmutualbenefit.
TheJanuary2006Workshop，allacknowledge，wasapioneeringeffortthefirstacademicworkshoptofocusonissuesofsexualorientationeverheldinChina.ThistopicremainssomewhatsensitiveinChina，andpublicdiscourseabouthomosexualityisjustbeginning.TheChineseparticipantsassembledbyFudanUniversitywereadiversegroupofscholars，lawyers，andpublicofficials.TheparticipantsassembledbyYale’sChinaLawCenterwereleadingU.S.scholarsfromthefieldsoflaw，history，andsociology，aswellasadistinguishedjudgefromthehighestcourtofAustralia.Therangeofbackgroundsoftheparticipantsonbothsideswasunusuallybroad，andallowedthediscussiontobewide-ranging.TheexceptionaleffortstoorganizetheWorkshopbyProfessorSunZhongxinandlawyerZhouDanbothimportantinnovatorsintheirfieldsofworkmadetheWorkshop’ssuccesspossible.
TheessaysandothermaterialscollectedinthisvolumereflectandtosomeextentexpanduponideaspresentedanddebatedattheWorkshop.Publicationofthisvolumewill，wehope，itselfencouragefurtherresearchanddebate.Theforeignparticipantsintheworkshopconcludedthatwewerepresentatanhistoricturningpointinhowhomosexualityisviewed，treatedandlivedinChina.
Forthepastfewdecades，effortstopromotegreaterrespect，freedom，andequalityforgaypeoplehasbeenoneofthemostsignificantcivilrightsdevelopmentsintheUnitedStatesandmuchoftheworld.Thisefforthasbeenmarkedbyawideningrecognitionthatwhatisatstakeisnotjustaperson’srighttoengageincertainprivatesexualconductbut，morefundamentally，aperson’sidentity.Becauseoftheimportanceofsexualitytohumannature，moreandmorepeoplehavecometoseethatwhengaypeoplearepunishedorforcedbysocialattitudestokeeptheirsexualorientationsecret，whatisbeingsuppressedordistortediswhotheyarenotjustwhattheydo.Argumentsfor“gayrights”，therefore，arenowunderstoodtobeargumentsaboutbeingacceptedandallowedtoflourishasahumanbeing，andaboutachievingfullerinclusioninaharmoniouscommunityofmutuallyrespectedandequalhumanbeings.Inaddition，alinkisoftenmadebetweendiscriminationbasedonsexualorientationanddiscriminationbasedonsex，sinceeachistypicallypremisedontheviewthataperson’sbehaviorshouldconformtocertainascribedgenderroles.
ResistancetorecognizingbasicrightsforgaypeoplehasbeenweakeningoutsideofChina.Legalprotectionshavebeengrowingverysignificantly.Statutespunishinghomosexualconducthavebeendeclaredinvalid.See，forexample，Lawrencev.Texas，539U.S.558（2003）（SupremeCourtoftheUnitedStates）；Dudgeonv.UnitedKingdom，4EHRR149（1981）（EuropeanCourtofHumanRights）；NationalCoalitionforGayandLesbianEqualityv.MinisterofJustice（1998）（ConstitutionalCourtofSouthAfrica）.Statutesprohibitingdiscriminationbasedonsexualorientationhavebeenadoptedinmanyjurisdictions.Butthesechangesinboththelawandsocialattitudeshavenotcomeabouteasily.Manypeoplehavebeenraisedwithreligiousormoralattitudesthatrejecthomosexualityandviewitwithdisapprovalordistaste.Theyseeitasathreattotheirchildren，tosocialinstitutionssuchasmarriageandfamily，andtoprocreationindeed，attimestheyseeitasathreattotheirownidentity.AndsothedebategoesonoutsideofChina，particularlyaboutwhetherhomosexualrelationshipsshouldreceiverecognitionbythestatethroughlegalprovisionsallowinggaypeopletomarryoratleasttoestablishso-calledcivilunionsthatgivethemmanyofthebenefitsofmarriage.
Giventheseworld-widetrends，itisnotsurprisingthatthisissuehasbeguntoreceiveattentioninChina.TotheforeignexpertswhotraveledtoShanghaifortheJanuary2006workshop，theemergenceofthisissueasamatterofpublicdiscussionanddebateinChinaisafascinatingaswellasimportantdevelopment.Itisparticularlyfascinatingtoalegalscholarlikemyself，whohastaughtandwrittenabouttheeffortstoaddressvarioustypesofdiscriminationinmyowncountry.
WhatwearewitnessinginChinaistheverybeginningofpublicdiscussionaboutissuesofsexualorientationandtherightsofgaypeopleandadiscussionthattakesplaceinthedistinctiveculturalcontextofChina.Atthispreliminarystage，thechallengesarefundamentalones：howtopromotewithinthebroadersocietyabasicunderstanding，acceptance，andtolerationofhomosexualssotheycanlivemorehonestly，havemorefulfilledlives，anddevelopamoresecureidentity.Theobstaclestothisaremany，buttheyseemsomewhatdifferentfromtheobstaclesthathaveexistedintheUnitedStatesandEurope.Wehavepowerfulorganizedreligionsthathavelongcondemnedhomosexuality.China’straditionsaredifferent，buttheJanuaryworkshopmadeclearthatelementsinChinaowntraditionsmayhaveasomewhatsimilareffectespeciallyConfucianidealsoffilialobligation，which，amongotherthings，createstrongpressurestomarryandproducechildrentocarrythefamilylineforward.