CHINESE LGBT NGOS FACE CHALLENGES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 000109 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/15/2035 TAGS: CH PGOV PHUM SOCI SUBJECT: CHINESE LGBT NGOS FACE CHALLENGES REF: REF A) 09 BEIJING 2733 Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Aubrey Carlson for Reasons 1.4 (b)(d) ¶1. (C) Summary: PRC lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender (LGBT) NGO leaders told PolOffs December 22 that their organizations are not viewed by the government as particularly sensitive but face the same registration and funding challenges as other civil society groups. PRC Internet censors equate homosexuality with pornography, making online networking and information access difficult. Gay activists stressed the need for broad-based NGO funding that addresses a wide range of LGBT concerns, not only HIV/AIDS. End summary. TOLERANCE AND INDIFFERENCE -------------- ¶2. (C) During a December 22 dinner meeting, a group of nine prominent lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender (LGBT) rights activists told PolOffs that in spite of relative gains made in social acceptance, the LGBT community in China still suffered from widespread ignorance and a general lack of sympathy from society at large. Although now decriminalized, homosexuality had been classified as a "psychiatric disorder" until 2001, and most Chinese continued to regard homosexual activity as aberrant behavior, said Gang Xiao (protect), director and co-host of the informational program Queer Comrades. Authorities still sometimes harassed gays, but an August 2009 confrontation in Guangzhou, which was covered in the national media, between a group of gay men and police not only became a symbolic moment in China's nascent gay rights movement but also demonstrated that many members of the gay community were no longer afraid of the government. GAY RIGHTS WORK PERMITTED -------------- ¶3. (C) "Eva" Li Yanxia (protect) and Bin Xu (protect),both from the lesbian advocacy group Common Language, stated that their organization faced obstacles common to all independent civil society groups in China, specifically the inability to legally register as a non-profit organization and fundraising challenges. Like most NGOs, Common Language was registered as a corporation, which meant that inbound remittances from Australian and North American LGBT organizations, the NGO's primary donors, were supposed to be taxed as revenue. Eva reported that Common Language had been "audited" by government officials shortly before the sixtieth anniversary of the founding of the PRC in October. Although Common Language had not been not shut down, officials had arrived unannounced, taken samples of the organization's magazine, and thoroughly searched the office records (ref A). ¶4. (C) That said, both Eva and "Luke" Zhao Ke (protect), editor of Gayspot magazine, made it clear that LGBT subject matter and advocacy work were not considered sensitive. Gayspot, which caters to the gay community nationwide, was a licensed publication, and Les(plus),Common Language's 54-page monthly magazine, had not been shut down even though it was "not quite legal." However, Luke said he had been unable to publish a story on gay life in Xinjiang that was to include details on the Uighur population. He attributed this run-in with censorship to the geographical region covered. Gang Xiao added that he had planned to do a film about gay life in Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR),but had abandoned the project on his own accord after deciding that anything even tangentially related to Xinjiang had become highly sensitive in the wake of the July 2009 ethnic riots. ¶5. (C) There appears to be less tolerance for gay and lesbian groups on university campuses, however. "Leo" Chen Guang (protect),the event organizer and a member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP),said that any student group or campus discussion on LGBT issues was strictly off limits at Peking University, where he worked as a counselor. Chinese officials did not want Peking University's reputation "tarnished," Leo said, given the institution's high profile in both China and abroad. However, loosely-organized, unofficial LGBT student groups operated under the radar on university campuses throughout China even though formal, recognized groups were rare, commented both Leo and Bin Xu. INTERNET CENSORSHIP DRAGNET -------------- ¶6. (C) LGBT interests had been impacted by the recent marked decrease in Internet freedom, stated Bin Xu. Although many LGBT websites were still accessible in China, the group noted, terminology associated with homosexuality was often censored. In fact, the word itself ("tongxinglian") was BEIJING 00000109 002 OF 002 automatically erased by some filtering software used by the government. Since censors classified most references to homosexuality as pornography, the group complained, it made social networking and public education campaigns via the Internet difficult. Further complicating matters, common networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube were no longer easily accessible in China. Still, Leo remarked, the GLBT community "knows where to go" on the Internet to steer clear of the censors. Bin Xu added that "you have to be creative" when using the Internet for LGBT advocacy and social networking. ¶7. (C) Similarly, although Beijing had held a gay and lesbian film festival recently, many films of interest to the LGBT community were not available through mainstream outlets in China, added Bin Xu. However, pirated copies of LGBT-themed films were widely available through street vendors, and interested viewers with the necessary technical skills could find them on the Internet. BEYOND HIV/AIDS -------------- ¶8. (C) Like other Chinese civil society groups, LGBT NGOs were reliant on overseas support to remain in operation, our interlocutors said. The group's chief complaint was that it was nearly impossible to obtain funding for anything other than HIV/AIDS-related projects, which were the sole focus of many international NGOs. Although HIV/AIDS work was obviously crucial, the group stated, it was also imperative to increase awareness of, and protections for, the civil rights of the LGBT community in China, which was the primary purpose of their grassroots activism. Forging relationships with LGBT organizations in the United States and other Western countries was an immediate goal of those present. Eva of Common Language, who spoke highly of her experience as an intern at the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, underscored the value of expanding training and exchange activities across international boundaries. HUNTSMAN