China Cares for Gay Health magazine "Friends" ceased publication due to funding issues

The homosexual Zhang Guowei returned from morning exercises and received a long-awaited "Friend" in the delivery room.

After returning home to take a look, but found that it is the final issue number, suddenly feel uncomfortable to say, almost tears. "At that time, it was like a true friend who would never leave me." Zhang Guowei described his feelings.

"Friends", which made him so uneasy, is the only Chinese magazine in China that provides psychological support and HIV prevention advice for the gay community. Because its main sponsor, the Ford Foundation, stopped funding, the bimonthly magazine suffered a cease-fire.

Zhang Guowei has become a loyal reader of this magazine since 2001. He said that over the past nine years, this magazine has opened his eyes to help him and his partner stay healthy and win people’s acceptance and recognition.

In 1996, Joan Goufman, who was the project officer of reproductive health at the time of the Ford Foundation's China office, first came to China and found that at the time, homosexual acts in China were highly discriminatory, not recognized by society, and there were few public institutions. Help gays.

When in 1998 Joan Goufman heard about Zhang Beichuan, a Chinese homosexuality expert, and the "Friends" magazine that he founded in the gay community, he decided to provide financial support.

But now, Kao Fuman, a scholar at Harvard Medical School, has left the Ford Foundation, and the foundation also shifts its focus in China to sex education for teenagers and no longer provides funding for Friends.

“The later issue of “Friends” has arrived in the hands of its readers, including members of the MSM (MSM) group, AIDS patients, experts, journalists, officials, and social activists.” Zhang Beichuan said.

"Friends" needs 500,000 RMB for printing 15,000 copies per issue. “It's hard to imagine what would happen if there weren’t a magazine, especially its neutral role, and what it sent out from the MSM community, what would happen to China’s AIDS prevention and MSM community development,” said Joan Kaufman.

She said that in China, the government is the main organization providing public services. Since 2002, the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention has dealt with many sensitive issues related to AIDS, which is truly admirable.

"However, although the government's efforts are necessary, it is regrettable that it cannot completely prevent people from rejecting and discriminating against people living with HIV," she said.

According to data from the Ministry of Health of the People's Republic of China, there are currently approximately 740,000 HIV-infected persons and patients in the country. However, new infections have fallen from 77,000 in 2005 to 48,000 in 2009. The main reason is that the Chinese government has implemented a series of effective prevention intervention policies and measures in the past two years.

Pan Yuming, director of the Institute of Sexual Sociology at Renmin University of China, said that "Friend" successfully completed its mission. It has given homosexuals encouragement and helped the general public understand this group.

Tong Ge, chairman of the China Gay Men's Health Forum, said that in today's China, gay men are gradually being recognized by society and the government. In many cities, gay groups have stepped out of the underground world.

However, Professor Qiu Renzong, honorary director of the Research Center for Applied Ethics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, believes that "friends" should be followed by others." He said that while sexual transmission has become the main means of transmission of AIDS, we must vigorously conduct education on sexual and reproductive health on the one hand, and prevent stigmatization and discrimination on different sexual orientation and sexual behavior on the other.

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