Homosexuals meet on lifestyle

More than 100 participants, some accompanied by their parents, gathered at a roundtable meeting on Saturday in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, to share their life experiences regarding homosexuality.

Lifestyles, how to tell family and friends and dealing with life's everyday problems, were some of the topics raised.

One mother, surnamed Liu, said that when her 27-year-old son told her that he was a gay, both she and her husband thought he was kidding.

But when they realized he was not joking, they could not sleep for nights on end.

"We love our son, and as we can not change his mind, we choose to accept it," Liu said.

A father, surnamed Sun, discussed his 27-year-old daughter who never wanted to have a boyfriend.

“I could not figure out why my daughter was a lesbian.”

A young man said that while his sexual orientation was not completely accepted by his parents, he still loved them deeply.

Some parents try to deny their children's orientation and forced them to marry. This, of course, increases the suffering.

About 16 million gay men have married women on the Chinese mainland, according to NGO estimates.

Gay rights campaigner, A Qiang, the organizer of the roundtable meeting, said that homosexuality is a normal phenomenon, like being left-handed, and society should allow same-sex marriage.