IntheUnitedStatesandEuropetoday，themainpublicdebatesconcerntheprecisescopeoflegalprotectionsthatshouldbeprovidedtogaypeople.InChina，wherethepublicdebatesarejustbeginning，themainissuesarewhether（orhow）abasicunderstandingandacceptanceofhomosexualitycanbedevelopedwithinbroaderChinesesociety，andwhether（orhow）gaypeoplecanlivemorehonestlyandopenly.Thesetwoissuesareobviouslyrelated.Greateropennessdevelopswherethereisgreaterpublictolerance.Butitisalsotruethatgreaterpublictolerancedevelopswherethereisgreateropennesswhereasufficientnumberofgaypeoplehavethecouragetobemorevisibleandhonestandopen.Opennessmakesclearthatpeoplewithdifferentsexualorientationsarewithinourcirclesofaffectionandrespectmembersofourfamily，friends，workcolleagues，communityleaders.Opennessputsahumanfaceontheissuethatitselfcanpromotegreatertolerance.
Asimilarpointcanbemadeaboutlegalprotectionsinthisarea.Ontheonehand，itseemsunlikelythatlegalprotectionsforgaypeoplewillcomeaboutuntilthereisgreateropennessbygaypeopleandgreatereffortsbythemtoadvancelegalprotections.Ontheotherhand，legalprotectionsthemselvesseemtobeanimportantingredientinencouragingmoreopenness.Thissuggeststhattheremaybereasonstoprohibitdiscriminationbasedonsexualorientationevenifthereislittleevidencethatsuchdiscriminationcurrentlyexists.Discriminationmaynotbewidespreadbecausefewgaypeopleareopenabouttheirsexualorientation；therisksaretoogreat.Thusthepurposeofananti-discriminationlawmaybetoreducetherisksofopennessratherthantoabolishexistingdiscrimination.
AttheJanuaryworkshop，theChineseparticipantsaskedtheforeignparticipantsmanyquestionsabouttheresearchandexperienceinourcountriesconcerningtheseissues.Butforus，thepresumedexperts，theworkshopwasverymuchaneducation.WhatishappeninginChina，inthisareaasinsomanyothers，isacomplexstorythatinsomerespectsisreproducingandinsomerespectsistransformingthestoryinothersocieties.Itwasaprivilegeforustoparticipateintheworkshop，anditisaprivilegeforustojoinwithourChinesecolleaguesinthepublicationofthisimportantbook.