When gay rights activist An Ran (a pseudonym) was brutally beaten during an HIV/AIDS prevention campaign in northwest China's Shaanxi Province in August, he was reluctant to tell the police.

His group of ten suffered the attack without fighting back because they wanted to avoid media attention and revealing their secret -- that they belong to An's gay organization.

An's non-governmental organization, based in Xi'an, capital city of Shaanxi, aims to prevent and control the spread of HIV/AIDS among homosexuals.

They distribute pamphlets promoting the use of condoms and offer help to those already infected with HIV/AIDS.

Despite their public interest work, An's group and other similar organizations are vulnerable.

For another gay rights organization, the Tianjin-based "Shenlan," ("Shenlan" means "deep blue" in English) the painful experience of two volunteers being assaulted in 2007 still rankles.

"They were embroiled in a fight while giving away free condoms in a local pub. The security guards ruthlessly slashed them with knives," said Gaga (a pseudonym), who organizes Shenlan's work in the north China municipality.

Like An Ran's group, Shenlan volunteers promote "safe sex" among same-sex lovers. One of their activities is handing out free condoms in pubs, nightclubs, and bathrooms, where they often encounter violence.

"We usually don't call the police because our group is not strictly-speaking legal," said Gaga.

In China, there are over 100 non-governmental organizations working to support gay HIV/AIDS suffers, according to Zhang Beichuan, a well-known sexologist based at Qingdao University.

Zhang said official support and protection of these groups is almost non-existent.

"Most groups cannot register with the civil affairs bureau, which means they are not legally recognized," said Zhang.

Many gay groups said this state of legal limbo causes them trouble.

HIV/AIDS-prevention work among male prostitutes, for example, is constantly threatened by police raids.

"Since our group is not registered, the police don't distinguish between us and the prostitutes when we are preaching the use of condoms," said Gaga.

Gaga said his group has even faced extortion from local hooligans.

"We see you have no back up. How about you pay us money and we give you protection," Shenlan was told.

Furthermore, Shenlan and the other groups often encounter financial problems, since being unregistered prevents them from raising funds and receiving donations.

The membership of Shenlan, for example, has fallen from 160 to 60 over the last year.

"Many of our volunteers are using their own money doing the group's work," said Xiao Pan (a pseudonym), who works at an HIV/AIDS support group in east China.

"What keeps us going are the thanks letters and festival gifts from those we've helped. They remind us that we are still needed."

"Unlike lesbian sex, intercourse between gay men can relatively easily transmit HIV/AIDS," said Zhang.

Among the Chinese gay community, non-governmental organizations play an indispensable role, fulfilling the role governments usually play, said Gao Yongjun, an official with Tianjin's disease prevention and control center.

"The volunteers, often gay themselves, are better than government workers at approaching and convincing gays to practice safe sex," said Gao.

In 2010 alone, the Shenlan group provided care for 160 HIV/AIDS-positive gays and extended their prevention network to over 5,000 male homosexuals.

The continuous efforts of these groups are credited with raising awareness levels of safe sex among the gay population.

Still, even as the NGOs boost condom-use and help save lives, contributing to a better society, its members still suffer discrimination. Most of the gay groups, fearing publicity, operate in secret.

Traditional Chinese culture is family-based, with emphasis on marriage and offspring, and so homosexuals remain an alienated group under constant pressure, according to Zhang.

For many of the volunteers, some of whom are "closet homosexuals" or HIV/AIDS-positive themselves, their biggest fear is the possibility of encountering family members or acquaintances when performing their group's work.

"Our biggest fear is running into family members or friends while we run a campaign", said Gaga.

Xiao Dong (a pseudonym), a college student in Beijing, stopped helping out at one HIV/AIDS-prevention gay group after a short period in 2009.

"I can't overcome the fear my parents may find out about the volunteer work, and then realize my homosexuality," he said.