Yesterday, Nanjing’s first gay health clinic opened in the Nanjing Jinling Men’s Hospital, but not a single person came for treatment. Experts point out that society should give more understanding and support to homosexuals.

Yesterday at 9am, this journalist arrived at the newly opened clinic on the third floor of the Jinling Men’s Hospital. In the hallway there were not a few patients, but all were married couples or relatives, and all were there about married couples’ or lovers’ matters. According to Ding Xuegang, the head of the Men’s health department at the hospital, the gay clinic that the hospital opened on Valentine’s Day is a special type of clinic designed to give emotional guidance when one partner in a married couple has homosexual tendencies. Because homosexuality is no longer considered to be a sexual perversion, but is rather a different sexual orientation, therefore it is not an illness and it would be inappropriate to open a clinic [to treat the condition].

Acccording to their experiences, homosexuals who come to the hospital are subject to three different pressures: Family pressure from parents or wives who tell them to go get treated in a hospital; Social pressure from the majority of people who still do not understand and even exclude homosexuals, which makes them feel they are not normal; and Health pressures, as homosexuals usually engage in anal and oral sex, so it is easier to get sexually transmitted infections and they must visit to hospital in order to protect their own health. From a social perspective, people should have more tolerance for them.

In addition, Dr. Ding pointed out, a person must meet three conditions to really be considered a homosexual: you must have homosexual tendencies; you must have homosexual activities; and you must recognize yourself as a homosexual. Many soldiers or university students may have such tendencies while in the military or in the university, and may even have homosexual experiences, but when they return to society they are able to return to heterosexual society. These people are bisexual. If they run into problems in married life, they can turn to the homosexual clinic for information.