Wang Xiaodong, a 35-year-old gay man in southwest China's Sichuan Province, has spent 6,000 hours over the past three years on volunteer work to help in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

A class on gay and lesbian studies at Fudan University in Shanghai has attracted an overflow crowd. The class is the first ever of its kind in China. [The New York Times]

Wang, director of a 100-member health group in the provincial capital Chengdu, said many gay Chinese men had to hide their sexual orientation from their families and would despair if they caught HIV.

"It is difficult to make those men come out of the closet and there is still a long way to go in ensuring HIV/AIDS safety for them," he said.

In December 2004, the Ministry of Health published for the first time the number of Chinese homosexuals as five to ten million. The government has since clearly stated its stance on homosexuality.

At the end of last year, the ministry and the World Health Organization released a joint report which said the HIV infection rate among general population was 0.05 percent and the rate among gay men was as high as two percent, second only to drug users.

Facing this threat, homosexuals have begun to go public and actively cooperate with government efforts to combat the disease.

Striving to prevent HIV/AIDS, Wang Xiaodong and experts with the China Disease Prevention and Control Center jointly compiled and published the "AIDS Prevention" book for at-risk individuals.

"The government now deals with the issue of homosexuality compassionately. With over 100 websites on homosexuality, along with other channels, homosexuals in China have safer ways of meeting," Wang said.

But he was concerned that some gay men lack awareness of self-protection. "Still many homosexuals do not use condoms, resulting in HIV infection and spread."

The China-Britain project on AIDS prevention and treatment conducted a survey last year on 927 homosexuals in Hangzhou, capital of China's eastern Zhejiang Province. The survey result showed 67 percent of the interviewees had at least five sexual partners.

Zhang Jianxin, professor of Sichuan West China University of Medical Science, called for further efforts to target information at homosexuals.

Homosexuality, once considered a "mental illness", is still a taboo in China. Gays and lesbians rarely make their orientation known. "The HIV infection may spread if their sexual activities are not controlled," Zhang said.

Zhang Beichuan, an expert on AIDS prevention with the Ministry of Science and Technology, said China has progressed in education on HIV/AIDS for at-risk groups.

He said more than 20 provinces have set up HIV/AIDS prevention organizations in their capital cities, involving nearly 1,000 volunteers who are gays or lesbians. Their education efforts have been recognized by governments as well as international experts.

The team in Chengdu, established in 2003, is one of the leading organizations in China. "All volunteers are working hard to push prevention education, provide medical help for the infected, and conduct surveys and reports for local health authorities," said Wang Xiaodong.

The number of homosexuals in Chengdu receiving education increased from the 3,000 in 2003 to 11,100 at the end of last year, Wang said.

According to a poll by the volunteer team, only 44 percent of gay men used condoms at the end of 2005 and now the figure is 72 percent.

With support from government departments, the volunteers have attended domestic and international conferences and seminars on HIV/AIDS prevention. Their experience has been shared around the world.