CSS - What Does #classname Mean

Hi,

I need some links to have a specific color.

a.ClassName:link works in FF but not in IE.

Is there are work-around?

PHP Code:
.chatlistmale, .chatlistfemale, .chatlistcouple {
    display: block;
    border: solid;
    border-width: 1px;
    width: 200px;
}

a.chatlistmale:link { background: #006699; }
a.chatlistmale:active { background: #006699; }
a.chatlistmale:visited { background: #006699; }
a.chatlistmale:hover { font-weight: bold; }

a.chatlistfemale:link { background: #FF0033; }
a.chatlistfemale:active { background: #FF0033; }
a.chatlistfemale:visited { background: #FF0033; }
a.chatlistfemale:hover { font-weight: bold; }

a.chatlistcouple:link { background: #00FF00; }
a.chatlistcouple:active { background: #00FF00; }
a.chatlistcouple:visited { background: #00FF00; }
a.chatlistcouple:hover { font-weight: bold; } 

Hi.

I see that if I put this in a select
class="classname"
then IE6 and IE7 do not honor the css rules.

It works in Firefox and Chrome (have not tested others)....

I also see that if I put inline styling to each option then it works in IE, but not if I use class="classname" in each option.

Do I allways have to use inline styles on each option for IE or is there a way to make it understand:
class="classname"
for the select or the option ???

I would prefer not to use inline styling though.... puhhh