In China, due to the lack of reliable research and data on sexual and gender minorities and their interaction with broader society and the State- from laws and policies, to education, employment and general public acceptance - people find it difficult to have a comprehensive and objective understanding of the reality, and in turn are in a poor position to take rational action. To help fill this gap in research, UNDP supported the Sociology Department at Peking University and the Beijing LGBT Centre in conducting a nationwide study of sexual and gender minorities based on a large-scale national survey, supplemented by in-depth interviews, with the goal of better understanding the living situations of this group of people. In addition, the study also surveyed those of 'orthodox' sexuality and gender, (non sexual and gender minorities), further revealing the social attitudes and institutional environments in which sexual and gender minorities live.