A woman laughed loudly, "That is impossible."

A young girl hesitated for a while and answered tentatively, "Get married? I suppose it would be alright." Another girl said confidently, "It's a personal choice. I think the key is to communicate with your children. If it was what my child really wanted, I would support his or her choice."

A couple sitting on a roadside bench gave their blessing to Xin Di and Xiao Han, "We understand them. Bless them."

An old man passed by carrying a child. Someone gave the child a rose. When he heard that they were lesbians, the old man said, "I oppose these marriages. It goes against Chinese tradition. Marriage is about a husband and a wife. Same-sex marriage won't work in China. I oppose it."

The scene became livelier and livelier. The wedding photo session lasted until 3 PM and the security guards did not interfere.

Homosexuality not a secret any longer

One week later, on the evening of February 21, the organizers of the mock weddings gathered at a bar near Beijing's Lama Temple (Yong He Gong). They talked about the events of Valentine's Day and were generally pleased with the outcome. "It went better than expected. We didn't think we would attract so much attention," said Xiao Xian. "In the past lesbians kept to themselves in a small community. It was the first time for us to take to the street and affirm our identity in a same-sex marriage."

Xiao Xian is much older than the others. She recalls that as recently as 10 years ago, it was not acceptable to talk about same-sex love in public.

Zhang Yi is 35 years old and comes from Wenzhou. His experience reflects the struggle of a whole generation of gays and lesbians. He remembers falling in love with a boy in middle school. He did not understand his own behavior. Later he read a medical book in a book store that said homosexuality was abnormal and that same sex love might cause AIDS. This panicked Zhang Yi. He was sure he did not have AIDS but he was equally convinced that he was abnormal. "I even thought of killing myself. And I kept asking myself why I was a pervert," said Zhang.

When he came to work in Beijing in 1993, he met more people and gradually began to learn more about homosexuality. "Don't be afraid of being gay or lesbian," Zhang said. Zhang is now openly gay. He has come out to his family and though they still do not understand his sexual orientation, he still loves them and hopes to win their support and love.

"I have realized that we have to be true to ourselves," said Zhang.