Xin Di and Xiao Han seemed very relaxed.

27-year-old Xin Di comes from Sichuan. She used to have a boyfriend. But when she met her current female lover, she realized what she really wanted and needed.

She said confidently, "I am quite satisfied with my life. Many of my female friends have difficulty finding boy friends: they have to consider the economic situation and family of their future husbands. Sometimes they have to split up because of their parents' disapproval. Gays and lesbians seldom have to worry about such things. Our love is all about passion and is much simpler."

24 year-old Xiao Han is studying at a Beijing university. "I have never been troubled about being a lesbian," said Xiao Han.

When she was 12 she was attracted to a girl. She wanted to define herself with a word. So she found "gay" in the dictionary. She wrote "gay" on a piece of paper and gave it to the girl she was in love with. The girl told her "gay" meant happiness and they became lovers.

Xiao Han and her lover talked about the future and possible marriage. "Now work is our top priority. In the future we might get married in a foreign country where same-sex marriage is legal, like Canada or Holland. But who knows what will happen?"

Is same-sex marriage really necessary? The very question seems slightly offensive to them.

"Of course it is necessary," Xiao Xian confirmed. She said that if a gay man or a lesbian was killed in traffic accident his or her partner would have no rights of inheritance. The best way to protect the rights of gays and lesbians is by legalizing same sex marriages, she said.

Many gays or lesbians already hold wedding ceremonies within the gay community. They call the ceremonies "community marriages". For them it is an affirmation of the equality between homosexual love and heterosexual love. "Such marriages pronounce us husband and wife. It's a public statement that I love this man or woman and I am going to spend the rest of my life with him or her," said Xiao Xian.

Cui Zi'en, a famous gay director, told the reporter, "Chinese people have a strong desire to get married. Westerners do not attach so much importance to marriage. But the Chinese are different. They love marriage. Although many people end up getting divorced, they still love to get married. From this point of view alone, legalizing same sex marriage is an absolute necessity."