Chi Heng Foundation's quest to keep Shanghai's gays safe
If you find yourself at Eddy's or Shanghai Studio and a stranger hands you a condom along with a brochure, don't be alarmed. He isn't trying to flirt with you; he's trying to help you. Chances are that he is a volunteer from the Chi Heng Foundation. Based in Hong Kong, the foundation, whose name means "wisdom in action," was created by Hong Kong-born and Harvard-educated businessman Chung To.
Currently, their foundation runs two projects: one for AIDS orphans and another for AIDS prevention and education. With offices in six Chinese cities (including Shanghai), they distribute condoms and informational brochures throughout Shanghai's various gay hot spots. They also run a Shanghai-based hotline (800 988-1929, 6380-8239), offering counseling to gays and lesbians all over China.
Intrigued, I recently went to Chi Heng's headquarters to find out more. At their offices, I spoke with Simon Tang and Ray Mahoney, two of the approximately 200 workers and volunteers for the organization. They gave me a report about the current HIV/AIDS situation among Shanghai's gay population.
The good news for Shanghai gays is that the infection rates are low compared to other places, but as a common destination for business travelers and tourists, dangers still exist. For the Shanghai gay population, "It's about practice rather than knowledge," Tang explains. In a country where the government reported rate of new HIV infections is small, getting the message across can be a bit tricky with every age group having their own special characteristics. For young Chinese gay men, they're used to the lectures about safe sex, but they're tired of it. "At the clubs, they don't care what you are talking about," Tang says. "They have AIDS fatigue," he continues. For older generations of Chinese gays, getting them to understand the dangers HIV can also be difficult. For example, I was told that for older Chinese gay men, wearing a condom was like "washing your feet with your shoes on." Some of them have never used condom. "They think it's weird," Tang informs me.
And yet there's another problem. Mahoney mentions that at a recent AIDS conference in Beijing, "I was the only one with a friend who had died from AIDS." With its hard work with the gay scene in Shanghai, Chi Heng's a great resource to help our community become stronger and healthier.
Pete
If you find yourself at Eddy's or Shanghai Studio and a stranger hands you a condom along with a brochure, don't be alarmed. He isn't trying to flirt with you; he's trying to help you. Chances are that he is a volunteer from the Chi Heng Foundation. Based in Hong Kong, the foundation, whose name means "wisdom in action," was created by Hong Kong-born and Harvard-educated businessman Chung To.
Currently, their foundation runs two projects: one for AIDS orphans and another for AIDS prevention and education. With offices in six Chinese cities (including Shanghai), they distribute condoms and informational brochures throughout Shanghai's various gay hot spots. They also run a Shanghai-based hotline (800 988-1929, 6380-8239), offering counseling to gays and lesbians all over China.
Intrigued, I recently went to Chi Heng's headquarters to find out more. At their offices, I spoke with Simon Tang and Ray Mahoney, two of the approximately 200 workers and volunteers for the organization. They gave me a report about the current HIV/AIDS situation among Shanghai's gay population.
The good news for Shanghai gays is that the infection rates are low compared to other places, but as a common destination for business travelers and tourists, dangers still exist. For the Shanghai gay population, "It's about practice rather than knowledge," Tang explains. In a country where the government reported rate of new HIV infections is small, getting the message across can be a bit tricky with every age group having their own special characteristics. For young Chinese gay men, they're used to the lectures about safe sex, but they're tired of it. "At the clubs, they don't care what you are talking about," Tang says. "They have AIDS fatigue," he continues. For older generations of Chinese gays, getting them to understand the dangers HIV can also be difficult. For example, I was told that for older Chinese gay men, wearing a condom was like "washing your feet with your shoes on." Some of them have never used condom. "They think it's weird," Tang informs me.
And yet there's another problem. Mahoney mentions that at a recent AIDS conference in Beijing, "I was the only one with a friend who had died from AIDS." With its hard work with the gay scene in Shanghai, Chi Heng's a great resource to help our community become stronger and healthier.
Pete
No comments:
Post a Comment