Zhang Beichuan () is a Chinese medical researcher, dermatologist, LGBT activist and AIDS prevention specialist. Transcript.
Life and career Beichuan originally studied dermatology under Qin Shide in Qingdao University, but decided to branch off and pursue the study of LGBT issues after seeing his teacher being discriminated based due to his teacher's sexual orientation.
In 1994, he published the book Homosexual Love (), the first comprehensive study on homosexuality in modern China. After publishing the book, he received around 1,000 letters from gay people all around China. These letters and the support of Qin Shide finally made him decide to quit his career as a dermatologist and start focusing on preventive healthcare for the homosexual population, especially in response to the AIDS pandemic.
In 1998, Zhang created the health prevention project for gay people, "Friends ()", with the support of the Ford Foundation. In the same year, he published the monthly health resource pamphlet, "Friends Communications ()". His presentation in the Xiangshan Science Conference encourage the Chinese Ministry of Health to divert funding to combat the spread of AIDS among gay men.
In 2002, the United Nation acknowledged the "Friends" project in their document about the AIDS pandemic. Zhang was awarded the Barry & Martin award for his work on AIDS prevention.
See also HIV/AIDS in China Prevention of HIV/AIDS Homosexuality in China
References
External links Blog of Zhang Beichuan Digital Version of "Friends Communications"