"I had no idea how much he suffered over the years, especially at high school. Someolder boys beat him up but the school didn't punish them and expelled my son instead,"Fan says.
"By the time we realize who our children are, we may have hurt them in so many ways.No one teaches us how to help and protect our gay children. We may think we can helpby trying to change them, but we need to love them for who they are."
Fan says people of her generation are relatively traditional and conservative towardhomosexuality, but "we need to update our outlook.
Apart from running a helpline, PFLAG also holds activities and counsels parents. Thecommunity also plays a vital role in speaking out for gay rights.
Eighteen mothers from PFLAG China publicly criticized a sex education booklet thatdescribed homosexuality as a kind of "sexual deviance" and was distributed to parentsof middle school students in Hangzhou, in August last year.
When 50,000 copies of the book, Parents, Please Walk Your Children ThroughPuberty, were handed out to parents, 18 PFLAG mothers sent an open letter on Aug27 to the Hangzhou Education Bureau, demanding that it recalled the books andrevised the relevant sections for the second edition.
For Xiao, Xu and PFLAG, it is an uphill battle to educate the public abouthomosexuality, when most are reluctant to accept it and fear that their line will come toa premature end. In the meantime, there are hearts to heal, and the healing processhas to begin at home.
Temperatures recorded since the end of November have marked the lowest to hit China in 28 years
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