Lawyer provides advice to LGBT community

Born in 1974 during the last days of the Cultural Revolution, Zhou Dan grew up in a society where being gay was regarded as a crime and a mental illness. Back then, the only information he could find on homosexuality was in his law school's library. It was only while riding his bicycle past a popular gay meeting spot in his native Shanghai in the early 1990s that he chanced upon meeting other men like himself. Now, Zhou is proud to call himself the only openly gay lawyer specialising in serving the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community. In 2003, he started the Shanghai Hotline for Sexual Minorities. He continues to give free legal advice on a near-daily basis. Homosexuality was a crime until 1997, and classified as a mental illness until 2001.

I came out in 2003 in an interview with a small local newspaper in Shanghai, but not many people noticed then. But two years later, magazine profiled me and I've since been interviewed by many local and international media. I think it's important to talk openly about LGBT issues. For a long time in China, being gay was taboo. But recently there has been a marked increase in the visibility of dynamic LGBT communities, especially in the big cities. In August the United Nations Development Programme sponsored a national LGBT conference in Beijing, and that was a major breakthrough. LGBT issues have now become "speakable" in public - it might still be controversial, but there is debate and dialogue.

I went to law school in the early 1990s. Being gay then was still seen as a crime and an illness. My major was in intellectual property and copyright. I never thought I'd be a gay-rights lawyer. I first started giving legal advice in 1998 when the internet was just getting started in China. I joined some LGBT discussion forums, where I gave advice and commentary. Then at the turn of the century, there was an internet boom, and that helped LGBT communities to develop rapidly. Now everyone knows they can call me any time if they need help.

They usually ask about marriage and relationship issues. For example, if a gay couple want to spend their lives together, even if they cannot get married, there are ways for them to make legal arrangements reflecting their commitment. They can agree to have joint ownership of an apartment, or write up wills in the event of death. And although gay couples cannot adopt a child together, a single gay man or a single lesbian woman can adopt a child, so I could help with inheritance arrangements. Most other times, they're concerned about marriage issues. I give advice over the phone for nothing, but I don't usually provide legal services.