From the Chair

My dear fellow tongzhis:

How time flies! Or “time goes fast like a flying arrow,” as the Chinese saying goes. Before we know it, it is already November! Time to plan for the next year. CRA has been busy so far this year. With the help of our capable board members, our organization has been growing with new members and friends and with more activities. Yes, we are constantly looking for new volunteers to serve on the board. If you are interested in helping out in any way in any area, please let me know ASAP, so you can be nominated for the next year’s board.

The new officers will be installed as usual at the Chinese New Year Banquet. We also intend to hand out the “Chinese Rainbow Awards” to recognize gay Chinese who have contributed significantly to our causes. Hard-working and courageous individuals who have worked for the equal rights and dignity of gay Chinese people everywhere. If you know someone who you think is deserving of an award, please let me know ASAP. The CRA board will look at their biographies and personal recommendations to select the most qualified recipients of these beautiful and important awards.

The holiday season is upon us. We will be having several get-togethers, some official and some unofficial, to celebrate this “season of love.” If you ever feel lonely or have the holiday blues, come to our functions, or call on our members to talk. No man is an island. No matter how strong and independent we are, we need real friends for support, understanding, camaraderie and brotherly love. A Chinese saying goes “When you are not at home, you NEED friends.” That is the main raison d’etre of CRA. WE are your “Chinese Rainbow Family.”

Your family member Andre’

RUSSELL LEONG

JUST RELEASED IN CHINESE TRANSLATION!

PHOENIX EYES by RUSSELL LEONG (Liang Jiying), translated by Sebastian Hwa. Ryefield Publications, Taipei.

Chinese website:

www.cite.com.tw or email:service@cite.com.tw

English edition:

University of Washington Press 800-441-4115 or http://www.washington.edu/uwpress

14 STORIES ABOUT THE SEARCH FOR LOVE AND LIBERATION THAT TAKE PLACE IN L.A., NEW YORK, SAN FRANCISCO, TAIPEI, CHENGDU AND CHUNGKING, CHINA.

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Russell C. Leong (Liang Jiying) is a third generation Chinese American poet and fiction writer. His new book, PHOENIX EYES (University of Washington Press, Seattle, 2000) won the prestigious American Book award and was selected by the Los Angeles Times as one of the best fiction works of 2000. The themes of his poems and fiction (translated in Taipei, Nanjing, and Shanghai) are migration, buddhism, and dimensions of sexuality. Leong is a professor of English at UCLA and editor of Amerasia Journal. He edited the first book on Asian American sexuality (Asian American Sexualities: Dimensions of the Gay and Lesbian Experience, Routledge Books, 1994).

Leong, with an MFA in filmmaking from UCLA, was featured on the five-part series made for U.S. public television: "THE UNITED STATES OF POETRY" with 50 other U.S. poets including Johnny Depp, former president Jimmy Carter, and others.

REVIEW: Los Angeles Times Book Review Best Fiction Books of 2000

從“Dead Poem Scoiety”到“Schindler's List” by Frank C.

我一直很喜歡看一些反映西方校園生活題材的老電影。那鋪滿斑駮黃葉的草地﹐沉浸在晨霧中的池塘﹐遍布青苔的磚牆﹐刻著希臘銘文的石柱﹐穿過鐘樓的玫瑰窗﹐照亮聖堂壁畫的曙光。。。所有這些有關校園特有的景致組合﹐對于當時年少的我﹐充滿一種強烈的神秘感和濃愈的異國情趣。

記得第一次看<<愛情故事>>的時候﹐最吸引我的竟不是那震撼心屝的“愛情故事”﹐而是影片中頻繁出現在雪季裡的古老恬靜的哈佛校園。

所謂“古老”﹐顧名思義﹐應是世紀經典與傳統榮耀的象征。然而﹐並非完全是。 <<死亡詩社>>是我看過的老電影中較為特殊的一部。影片敘述的是﹐在“惟權至尊”﹐“惟仕至優”的著名威爾頓公學﹐一群勇于反抗世俗的青年追求個性獨立﹐人性自由的“叛逆”遭到來自校方和家庭保守勢利的無情壓制﹐最終導致一顆年輕的心走向絕望的不幸。而這一次﹐“古老”沒有給年青人帶來他們夢寐的榮譽和庇祐﹐而是殘酷的詛咒和死亡。。。

金碧輝煌的聖殿背後﹐在步履沉重的高階之下﹐到底有多少被這種陳腐癒劣﹐醜惡畸形的教育制度扼殺吞噬的自由詩魂在無盡的黑暗中游蕩﹖相比之下﹐那些彰顯昔日﹐俊逸典雅的希臘柱石﹐那些經久磨礪﹐揹負聖名的青銅哲人﹐突然變得面目猙獰可憎起來。影片中除了KAIEING教授的無奈和悲憤﹐最令我感觸的是同性間兄弟般的情愛﹕當得知NEIL的不幸自戕﹐TODD痛不欲生﹐深夜裡奔扑向校園深處﹐無聲地翻滾在茫茫雪野中。。。愛的痛楚是如此淒慟慘烈﹐而人性的回歸亦隨之昇華到極點。

為什麼對人性的覺醒總是伴之悲劇﹐起于悲而又止于悲﹖在寫這些字的時候﹐我在聽<<辛德勒名單>>的主題音樂。對于這類帶有悲愴時代背景﹐于情緒影響深刻的音樂我一般很少或是不願聽的。因為雖然樂曲中流蕩的多是對生命的頑強堅韌以及人性尊嚴的歌頌﹐但還是會帶來莫名的哀傷和痛苦。個人于自然是渺小無助的﹐但于人類社會則是根本。現實中﹐很多人的認知卻正和我的看法相反 - 於是便有那些“叱奼風雲”的“偉人”“指點江山”﹐便有人類“改天換地”的“壯舉”﹐便有為族群利益而引發的自相屠戮和報復。。。

人與國﹐孰輕孰重﹖

直至今天﹐這個古老的話題依然在人性的泯滅和回歸中延續。

This article first appeared in Chinese in the China Press newspaper, a major Chinese language daily newspaper in California and elsewhere, on August 13, 2001. It is translated to English by N. Yang, a CRA member.

Gay Chinese Americans number tens of thousands in California

After the state of California issued an ordinance to legalize cohabitation of same sex couples and grant a registered domestic partner the same benefits as those for a heterosexual spouse two years ago, another bill, AB25 was recently passed by the state senate. This bill was proposed by assembly member Carole Migden, and it passed the state congress in May. If governor Davis signs this bill, it will endow gay Californians with more rights including equal health benefits for a domestic partner of an employee at a private enterprise.

Laws regarding gay people have become more tolerant, and American Psychiatrist Association removed homosexuality from its list of psychological abnormality. However, what things are like in gay Chinese communities in California as well as in the United States? Regarding this issue, our journalist has conducted an interview respectively with Er-Yan, a researcher and expert in gay studies, Mr. Ding, president of a gay Chinese organization in Los Angeles and a gay individual Mr. A.

At his interview, editor in chief Er-Yan of a gay journal Tao-hong-man-tian-xia and coordinator of Chinese Society of Studies on Sexual Minorities introduces that sociologists think that homosexual people make up of 2% to 6% of the population in a certain region. This percentage does not vary because of race or different regions. Census of 2000 indicates that there are 980,642 ethnic Chinese in California. By this belief, gay Chinese ought to be between 20,000 to 60,000 in number in California.

Er-Yan indicates that Chinese Tongzhis (a new term for gay people) newly immigrated from Mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong harbored a dream for a comparatively more tolerant climate for gay people here when they first came to the United States. Actually, “visibility” of gay people varies in congruence with urbanization and information development. Regulations on homosexuality vary from state to state. For instance, it was not until 1969 that North Carolina finally abolished capital punishment for sodomy. In states such as California and New York where there are a high industrialization level and advanced communication and information system, gay people enjoy the most tolerance. In addition to government departments, Disney, Boeing, IBM, Ford and other big companies have stipulated policies to give same benefits to domestic partners of gay couple as to heterosexual spouses of married couples.

Since there is a high population density with a closer distance in between people in a big city like Los Angeles, therefore, bars, disco patios and parks that gear towards gay people have come in existence. In recent years, the development of internet has expanded the opportunity for gay people to get to know and exchange with one another. Gay organizations such as China Rainbow (a gay Chinese men organization in Greater Los Angeles) and Lotus (a Chinese lesbian association in Los Angeles) have their own web sites and a gay subculture. “Tongzhis” can post personal ads on BBS, chat in chat rooms. In addition, gay-theme literature, biographies of gay celebrities, discussions on gay issues and information about AIDs prevention are accessible on the internet to Tongzhis.

Er-Yan indicates that though the living environment for gay people is getting more and more tolerant, gay Chinese, compared with mainstream gay Americans, are confronted with more pressure.

The pressure first stems from the familial tradition to carry on a family name, which is exemplified in the saying: “There are three ways to be unfilial; the first one is to be without issue.” Parents, who are first generation immigrants and used to live in a secluded society, have no idea or understanding of homosexuality. Thus, even though their son still doesn’t want to get married in his thirties, they will not suspect him of being gay. Under this kind of pressure, some gay people have to get married and have children. Since human sexual orientation is consecutive, so few people are 100 percent heterosexual or 100 percent heterosexual. Usually a gay person can be 20 percent heterosexual and 80 percent homosexual. Though a gay man can have sex with his wife, he can not become attached to his wife, nor does he want his wife to get attached to him.

Er-Yan indicates that another source of pressure on gay Chinese is religion in a Chinese community. The US is a country of Christianity. What has infiltrated Chinese communities is usually a Christianity church of great influence, for instance, Evangelical church. A Christian church like this is tradition-oriented and conservative with little tolerance for gay people.

Besides, they face a common pressure with mainstream gay people. Er-Yan states that there are nine gay Chinese colleagues at his company. The company has a tolerant policy towards homosexuality and grants domestic partners of gay people the same benefits as it does with heterosexual spouses of married couples. However, a heterosexual colleague can place pictures of his/her spouse on desk in an open and aboveboard fashion. If a gay colleague does this same thing, the others may remain silent out of respect. Deep in their heart, they may have a different opinion. At least, they will not find it agreeable. In light of this, members of sexual minorities including gay people of Chinese origin and other ethnic backgrounds will be confronted with repression to some extent in a predominantly heterosexual society.

Er-Yan tells the journalist that some gay Chinese dare not go to a gay bar due to these pressures. When they get on the internet, they only browse through ads on BBS but dare not participate in discussion, worrying that others may find out that he is gay by virtue of an IP address. Lacking communication, they feel doubly lonely.

Er-Yan also indicates that in the circle of American psychiatric health, a consensus has been reached that homosexuality is one of the normal sexual orientations including heterosexuality and bisexuality. It is left-handedness as opposed to right-handedness. Mainland China has seen a big progress in its opinion regarding homosexuality. According to statistics of health ministry, there are 26 million to 48 million gay people in Mainland China. In 1997, China eliminated “crime of hooligan” from its criminal law, making homosexuality non-criminal. On April 20th this year, homosexuality was no longer considered an illness. The newly published “China’s Classification of Psychiatric Obstructions and Diagnostic Standards” stipulates that homosexuality is not to be considered an ill condition. Except for a few who experience sexual emotion conflict or obstruction, in which case medical assistance is needed, most of the gay people can attain self-congeniality and do not need medical assistance. Of the 51 gay people Chinese Psychiatric Association has followed up on over one year, only 6 of them need medical assistance.

In his interview, Mr. Ding, President of a gay Chinese men’s organization China Rainbow in greater Los Angeles, states that China Rainbow was founded by two Ph.Ds in 1995. It has more than 150 members now. “Tongzhis” get together with “no pressure,” “no constraints,” and are like “a big family.” China Rainbow holds two parties a month and volleyball matches and so forth. In addition, it also invites Asian Pacific AIDS Intervention Team and Asian Pacific Health Center to conduct STD education seminars for its members.

Mr. Ding also introduces that gay culture has thrived in southern California in recent years. Courses regarding studies of gay culture open at famous universities such as University of California Berkeley and University of California Los Angeles. An archive of homosexuality is also established at University of Southern California. A book entitled “Zero Generation”, which is about the development of gay Chinese in southern California since 1970s, will appear at the end of this year, too.

After the interviews with Er-Yan and Mr. Ding, the journalist conducted a written interview with Mr. A, a gay Chinese man from Vietnam. The journalist first got to know Mr. A at a personal web site. It was a picture of a handsome boy on an elaborate background and with beautiful writings. Telling from the innocent and honest expressions in his eyes, the journalist knew that he would not deny an interview request. The journalist then sent him an email to the email address on the web site. Within expectation, he accepted the interview right away.

In his reply, Mr. A told the journalist that he and his parents settled down in Oakland California when he was 7. He was a major in computer information system and management. He liked music, going to parties and outdoor activities. He first realized that he was gay when he was still in high school. He felt very lonely at that time because he didn’t want anybody else know. Now, he has met many “Tongzhis” at parties and through internet. They go to picnics, to travel and get along well, and he feels much better and happier. He indicated that Asian culture was strict and conservative. It was hard to have parents accept the fact that their son was gay. However, he tried to communicate more with his parents. And they have got to understand him more and more.

After the interviews, the journalist cannot attain ease of mind for a long time. The journalist has no intention to advertise ideology of homosexuality. And the world of homosexuality is not a pure land, either. Enlightenment through science promotes tolerance. A normal sexual orientation, homosexuality is entitled to more concern and tolerance in the Chinese community. We should create conditions in order to enable each gay Chinese individual to develop as “a healthy person under the sun.”

By intern journalist Xui Yan.

Translated by Alan Yang