Preface1
ThisbookisaproductofanextraordinaryWorkshopheldinShanghai，China，inJanuary2006，co-hostedbyFudanUniversity’sSchoolofSocialDevelopmentandPublicPolicyandYaleUniversityLawSchool’sChinaLawCenter.TheWorkshopandthisbookareyetfurtherexamplesofthestronglinkagesandcooperationbetweenYaleUniversityandFudanUniversitythathavedevelopedoverthepastdecade，andthatnowencompassawiderangeofactivitiesthatcontinuetoyieldgreatmutualbenefit.
TheJanuary2006Workshop，allacknowledge，wasapioneeringeffortthefirstacademicworkshoptofocusonissuesofsexualorientationeverheldinChina.ThistopicremainssomewhatsensitiveinChina，andpublicdiscourseabouthomosexualityisjustbeginning.TheChineseparticipantsassembledbyFudanUniversitywereadiversegroupofscholars，lawyers，andpublicofficials.TheparticipantsassembledbyYale’sChinaLawCenterwereleadingU.S.scholarsfromthefieldsoflaw，history，andsociology，aswellasadistinguishedjudgefromthehighestcourtofAustralia.Therangeofbackgroundsoftheparticipantsonbothsideswasunusuallybroad，andallowedthediscussiontobewide-ranging.TheexceptionaleffortstoorganizetheWorkshopbyProfessorSunZhongxinandlawyerZhouDanbothimportantinnovatorsintheirfieldsofworkmadetheWorkshop’ssuccesspossible.
TheessaysandothermaterialscollectedinthisvolumereflectandtosomeextentexpanduponideaspresentedanddebatedattheWorkshop.Publicationofthisvolumewill，wehope，itselfencouragefurtherresearchanddebate.Theforeignparticipantsintheworkshopconcludedthatwewerepresentatanhistoricturningpointinhowhomosexualityisviewed，treatedandlivedinChina.
Forthepastfewdecades，effortstopromotegreaterrespect，freedom，andequalityforgaypeoplehasbeenoneofthemostsignificantcivilrightsdevelopmentsintheUnitedStatesandmuchoftheworld.Thisefforthasbeenmarkedbyawideningrecognitionthatwhatisatstakeisnotjustaperson’srighttoengageincertainprivatesexualconductbut，morefundamentally，aperson’sidentity.Becauseoftheimportanceofsexualitytohumannature，moreandmorepeoplehavecometoseethatwhengaypeoplearepunishedorforcedbysocialattitudestokeeptheirsexualorientationsecret，whatisbeingsuppressedordistortediswhotheyarenotjustwhattheydo.Argumentsfor“gayrights”，therefore，arenowunderstoodtobeargumentsaboutbeingacceptedandallowedtoflourishasahumanbeing，andaboutachievingfullerinclusioninaharmoniouscommunityofmutuallyrespectedandequalhumanbeings.Inaddition，alinkisoftenmadebetweendiscriminationbasedonsexualorientationanddiscriminationbasedonsex，sinceeachistypicallypremisedontheviewthataperson’sbehaviorshouldconformtocertainascribedgenderroles.