Voluntary HIV testing for gay students in Beijing

Gay college students in Beijing are being offered 50 yuan ($6.50) cash bonuses and free medical treatments in exchange for undergoing voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) for HIV, according to a report by the Beijing Times on Wednesday.

So far, more than 100 homosexual university students have registered for the VCT at www.hivolunt.net. The students are enrolled at several Beijing universities, including Peking University, Tsinghua University and Renmin University of China, project coordinator Xiao Dong told China Daily.

The project was officially launched on Tuesday at a private hospital specialized in treating sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The goal is to raise awareness of such diseases among homosexual students and to obtain more firsthand information about on-campus gay culture.

It is also part of a nationwide effort to create connections between grassroot organizations for homosexuals and hospitals, said Xiao, who also leads a group called Rainbow.

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