LGBT movements in Hong Kong

[Posted by Paul Causey on AP-Rainbow mailing list, 2010-08-20]

Is it OK to be gay in Hong Kong?

By Jennifer Lai

Hong Kong is known for its liberal laws regarding finance and business. But how free are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to express themselves?

Hong Kong's generous tax laws and deregulated business environment make it an easy place to express yourself financially. But what if you're part of the lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender community? There are a smattering of gay bars and clubs dotted around the city. But is it OK to be gay here?

We spoke to some people directly involved in the LGBT scene here to find out what they thought. Taking part were: Betty Grisoni and Abby Lee, the founders of Les Peches, which organizes parties and events for lesbian and bisexual women; Eric Herrera, chief dreamer of Fruits in Suits (FinS), a gay networking group; Connie Chan of Women Coalition of HKSAR (WCHK), an LGBT advocacy group; and Nigel Collett, Hong Kong correspondent for Fridae.com, the gay media company.

The freedom to love: acceptance of Hong Kong’s LGBT past to present

Recognition of the issues faced by gays in Asia is definitely increasing, say Betty Grisoni and Abby Lee. They say that more groups, either socially or politically based, have popped up in recent years. Les Peches started as a social gathering community, but as more people inquired about LGBT issues, Grisoni and Lee started supporting political LGBT events as well.

Nevertheless, Grisoni reveals that for lesbians, any apparent acceptance could be due to the fluidity of women’s sexuality.

“A woman is more reluctant to label herself as lesbian,” she says. With a “don’t ask, don’t tell” unspoken rule, the acceptance of lesbians is easier, as differentiating between a lesbian relationship and two close female friends, for instance, is not always obvious.

Eric Herrera from Fruits in Suits believes that politically, socially and community based groups have increased and together are working to change awareness by the public as well as trying to establish a voice at the level of the legislative council (Legco).

Speaking about the first Pride Parade in 2008, Herrera says that it was a pure message of “social acceptance, awareness and exposure to the public.”

For Connie Chan at the WCHK, the pride parade highlights the development of the LGBT community from about a decade ago. The increase in the number of people attending between the first and second pride parade was very noticeable, she says.

“Seeing more locals come out to participate was important because it indicates that they were taking it on themselves to support the local scene,” says Chan. LGBTs were taking actions for their rights when they wouldn’t have dared in the past.

But for Nigel Collett, at fridae.com, there is a big communication gap between the local and expatriate LGBT groups, and that's slowing the development of the scene in Hong Kong.

“The major achievements in Hong Kong’s LGBT history have been achieved by local people, unaided and usually with very small resources,” he says. He believes that if one can combine the expatriate’s resources to assist local activists, “you will get the best of both worlds.”

Is the government doing enough?

There is a strong consensus among the five speakers that Hong Kong’s government is not doing enough to open avenues for LGBTs to express themselves.

While Grisoni believes that the government is trying to be more lenient, Collett says they are not interested.

“The less the government hears from the LGBTs, the better and happier they are,” says Collett. Herrera thinks the government tends to wait to see what the public thinks before taking a stance.

One of the big contentious issue is the need for an anti-discrimination law in Hong Kong. Chan says despite calls for such a law being made in 1993, as yet no concrete progress has been established. She says that the government possibly is sensitive to anti-LGBT groups, fearing that an anti-discriminatory law would spark even louder voices of dissent.

One might think Hong Kong’s gay-opposition groups come from the older generations. In fact, the most vocal groups belong to conservative Christian groups and fundamentalist legislators such as Democrat Party Legco Member Nelson Wong Shing-chi and independent lawmaker Priscilla Leung Mei-fun, both of whom opposed the inclusion of same-sex couples in the Domestic Violence Ordinance.

The education sector is also a troublesome area for openly gay people. According to a survey conducted by WCHK, over 30 percent of discrimination felt by lesbians, gays or bisexuals were in schools (regardless if they were students or teachers).

“There are even no proper associations for LGBTs to join in universities in Hong Kong,” says Chan, highlighting how in Hong Kong youth LGBT groups are not recognized by their education institutions, unlike in China or Taiwan where some such groups are registered with their universities.

The need to introduce an anti-discrimination law and develop basic human rights for LGBTs is the most pressing of issues for Hong Kong's legislators, our speakers say.

However, Herrera stresses that in order to affect laws, LGBTs may be better off looking to the corporate sector. He says companies that want to look after their workforce may be more open to LGBT issues, and more willing to support their causes. And once one company does something that grabs the public attention, many often follow, which then gets the attention of the lawmakers. “Corporates have a lot of voice to make society interact and work,” he adds.

What are other Asian countries doing?

LGBT activism in Taiwan is considered more advanced. Taiwan hosted its first pride parade in 2003 and participant numbers have risen from 500 to over 18,000 since then.

Taiwan and Hong Kong both have included same-sex marriages under the Domestic Violence law. This means same-sex couples have recourse to the law and court injunctions just as heterosexual couple do, in cases of domestic violence. Though Hong Kong only added same-sex couples to the law in December 2009.

Collett believes China is also showing signs of change, though he suggests that the government’s main interest lies in preventing HIV.

Chan is more skeptical about progress in Asia. But she hopes that neighboring countries can help each other’s LGBT communities, by acting as watchdogs or creating chain effects when pushing for rights.

The future for Hong Kong’s LGBT community

The future is about making small steps, it appears. FinS is working with the University of Hong Kong’s Queer Straight Alliance to set up a mentor programme between students and FinS members.

Collett has proposed to the Hong Kong Tourism Board that a month-long promotion of LGBT events be held every year. Besides the exposure, it would be financially advantageous for Hong Kong, which already hosts tourism sporting events such as the Rugby 7s.

Unfortunately, this year’s pride parade won't take place because of inadequate funding. But it will be back in 2011. Instead, a smaller beach event “Out in the Open” will take place in October.

As industries realize the importance of the 'pink dollar,' Grisoni feels that more brands are now out on the streets too, trying to profit from high income LGBTs.

Lee explains that many hosting venues that they approach for their events do not know what Les Peches is or what it wants to achieve, but are always interested when they they think a gay couple, probably without kids, is likely to have a lot of disposable income.

“It’s fine to make money, but you should be supporting the LGBT community by giving something back,” says Lee.

It appears then that if Hong Kong's LGBT people are to find freedom here, they will perhaps never be as free as those who are here to get rich.