AIDS activists use the Net to reach into China

By CNN's Kristie Lu Stout

HONG KONG, China (CNN) -- As China's AIDS crisis reaches epidemic proportions, the government is pushing for more AIDS awareness.

But because of cultural taboos, activists in Hong Kong doubt the message will trickle down to the mainland's gay community -- so they're turning to the Web to reach out.

"Our major target audience is gay and lesbian and Chinese, not just here in Hong Kong," says Brian Leung, the head of Hong Kong's Gaystation, a Web site that streams radio shows over the Net to gay audiences.

"Being an Internet radio, you can reach out to a global audience so to speak. So we're reaching out to the Chinese-speaking gay community not just in Asia but in other South East Asian countries, Singapore, Taiwan, and Mainland China."

Web sites like Gaystation give Chinese homosexuals a resource for friendship and emotional support. They're also filling the void in AIDS awareness.

Reluctant to respond

After years of ignoring the crisis, China has finally acknowledged the scale of its AIDS epidemic. Officials say 600,000 Chinese are infected, with the figure growing by more than 30 percent a year.

The government says it will improve the way it relays information about the disease, but activists are not convinced.

"Unfortunately, AIDS is one of those issues that because it is so morally complex, governments tend to be very reluctant to respond until the last minute," says AIDS Concern chief executive Graham Smith.

"Because of the issues that are involved, mainly as far as effective prevention is concerned, it often means targeting sex workers and their clients, intravenous drug users, men who have sex with other men."

"And these are social groups which governments don't normally readily put on their agenda in terms of allocating resources for health care," adds Smith.

Spreading the word

And if the government won't reach out to China's homosexuals, the webmasters will.

Gaystation is educating the public about taking the HIV test. And at Hong Kong's Radiorepublic, fellow Net DJ Anthony Man is doing his part to make a difference.

"(For) China, I just want to let them know the facts about AIDS," says Man.

"The main point is I don't want to use the world 'help,' I just provide some information. Because we live in a different culture, I want them to get the information and scan what they need."

Hong Kong activist Chung To is spreading the word in a different way. He sponsors gay Web sites in China like Friends Exchanging, a sexual health newsletter based Qingdao that caters to China's gay -- or "tongzhi"-- population.

"The site is actually an extension of an AIDS project launched by a medical professor at the Qingdao Medical Institute," says To about the Friends Exchanging site.

"He has been doing tongzhi works for many years. He's a great person and also cares a lot about AIDS prevention especially in the tongzhi community."

Skeptics say the role of the Web in AIDS prevention is overhyped, but Gaystation's Leung disagrees.

"There are at least 40 million gay people in China alone and even if a small percentage of that amount are Internet users that could make up a substantial audienceship."

"That's why there are so many gay Web sites springing up and opening in mainland China."