IN Toronto magazine

TRAVEL:

In this beautiful, bustling metropolis, discover a nascent LGBT movement finding its rightful place in the world   

It’s 3pm and an LGBT Pride parade is forming in Hong Kong’s bustling Causeway Bay, a highly developed shopping district dense with futuristic skyscrapers with one mega mall stacked on top of another.

It’s loud. “We love gays!” shouts a crowd of youthful, rainbow flag-waving Chinese girls, a fraction of the some 2,000 LGBT activists and allies, mostly young, who’ve packed themselves tightly into this city square off the main drag of East Point Road.

Causeway Bay is one of Hong Kong’s most crowded areas, a clustered chunk of the city’s some seven million people. It’s a high-priced sardine box of a marketplace. But today, on a Saturday afternoon in November, activists calling for LGBT equality outnumber the consumers shopping for Gucci watches.

“People are travelling here. All the Hong Kong government needs to do is see the potential.”

Standing tall is a young, topless Pride organizer, hoisted seven feet above the ground on a scaffold covered by a giant rainbow flag. Microphone in hand, he gets the crowd going by singing the song “My Pride” by Hong Kong-based singer Joey Yung. The day’s official theme is “For queer, for love, for equality.”  

The dress code is supposed to be “sexy and act out,” but most people are wearing plain shorts and T-shirts. The exceptions are a few drag queens peppered throughout the crowd, a small contingent of leathermen and one young man who’s propped a giant plush rainbow-coloured penis onto his shoulders.

Can you call it a parade? Not really. Unlike the carnivalesque Pride parades in major Western cities, there are no floats. This is a march.

Armed with rainbow balloons and excited shouts, the jovial assembly pushes their way onto East Point Road. Police keep demonstrators to one side by a long strip of neon green tape. Marchers wave at people curiously watching from the sidelines. A middle-aged Chinese woman in a business suit flashes a thumbs up.

It’s a scene reflective of Hong Kong’s changing attitudes towards LGBT people. A former British colony that operates under a political system somewhat independent of mainland China, Hong Kong plays an important role in giving sexual minorities in China the space and freedom to celebrate diversity. For the first time Hong Kong’s tourism board worked with local organizers this year to promote the event with an eye to a bigger promotional campaign next year. Unlike mainland China, Hong Kong does not require visitors to obtain a visa, making it an accessible destination for tourists. For gay and lesbian visitors, there are an abundance of parties and festivals — notably between the months of September and December — that serve as gateways into LGBT life.

“This parade is important to the entire region,” says participant Bob McFadden, an airline consultant who moved to the city 21 years ago. McFadden attended Hong Kong’s first Pride parade three years ago, and immediately noticed the impact it had on neighbouring Chinese communities which, under communist rule, cannot celebrate Pride as freely. “It attracted 10 gay community groups who flew in everywhere from Beijing to Shanghai,” he says.

While homosexuality is not illegal in mainland China, discrimination still exists under the country’s authoritarian government which condemns independent activity or organizations such as Pride. “We’re a long way from having an event like a gay Pride parade take place in the rest of China,” says McFadden.

While visitors have little to fear, LGBT residents still have a ways to go since Hong King has yet to outlaw discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation. “There’s a lot of fear about coming out to your boss because there’s no protection,” says teacher Michael Wiggs, a California native who moved to Hong Kong four years ago. “If someone is anti-gay, they can pretty much fire you if they want to.”

Wiggs is marching in Hong Kong’s Pride parade with his church, Blessed Minority Christian Fellowship, a nondenominational church for LGBT people. When asked about his thoughts on Hong Kong’s treatment of LGBT people, his response is ambivalent. “There’s not much anti-gay, but there’s not much strong support either,” he says.

Case in point: Last June, local activists were outraged to learn that Hong Kong’s Social Welfare Department hired a psychiatrist who claimed he could “cure” homosexuality.

“Hong Kong has a very conservative view on homosexuality and at times our community suffers from poor self esteem,” says Betty Grisoni, who co-runs Les Peches, a queer women’s party series, with her partner Abby Lee.

Grisoni and Lee have been able to live and work as lesbians “without thinking of any major danger,” says Grisoni. But the couple criticizes the Hong Kong government for failing to legalize same-sex marriage, teach sexual diversity in schools or grant equal partner rights at work. “I couldn’t ask my company for a spouse visa when I moved here,” says Grisoni.

This year’s Pride march was supposed to start in Victoria Park, a public grassy area a few blocks away from Causeway. “It’s where most parades start,” says McFadden. But the city gave the park to a major bank’s event instead. “This happens all the time,” says McFadden. It’s a type of discrimination that is “not overt, but subtle,” he says.   

Without solid government support, Pride events are always scrambling for money. Last year’s parade didn’t happen, which led to the creation of the Pink Season (pinkseason.hk), now considered Asia’s largest LGBT festival. It runs over a two and half month period from late September to early December. Highlights include the Hong Kong Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, the popular boat party Floatilla, the Mr Gay Hong Kong pageant, Gay Day at Disney, plus an ongoing series of queer stage plays, drag contests and dance parties.

“These are major crowd-pulling events,” says Anshuman Das, a 35-year-old IT specialist and festival organizer. He’s been trying to convince Hong Kong’s tourism board to promote the Pink Season; he sees a major market in mainland China. “In China, you can’t have independent film festivals, or any Pride in-your-face party because the police can raid it at any time,” says Das. “Compared to China, Hong Kong police are not as controlling.

“There’s a huge market in China we can attract.”  

This year the tourism board posted some of the Pink Festival’s events on its website, but not all. “They avoided posting Mr Gay Hong Kong,” says Das. Still, it’s a major step for an LGBT organization operating within the constraints of shoestring budgets  while competing with Pride organizations (Pink Season and Hong Kong’s Pride parade are run by two different organizations which, to date, haven’t been able to connect, says Das).

“People are travelling here,” says Das. “All the Hong Kong government needs to do is see the potential.”

48 Dynamic hours

Hong Kong is a gateway to Asia. Many international travellers transfer flights here, often staying an extra night or two to get in some high-adrenalin shopping, sight-seeing and partying. Here are some quick fixes for your next trip.

FOR THE VIEW
THE PEAK TRAMWAY A direct route from Hong Kong’s Central District to the top of Victoria Peak, the mountain on the western half of the city. Takes you to restaurants and nature walks with jaw-dropping views of the city’s harbour and sprawling skyscrapers. Departs from Garden Road Peak Tram Lower Terminus, Central District.

FOR A THRILL
NGONG PING CABLE CAR Escape the noise of downtown Hong Kong and enjoy a quiet 5.7km cable ride over the rolling slopes of North Lantau Country Park. Offers sky-high views of Hong Kong International Airport, Lantau Island, the Tian Tan Buddha Statue and the Ngong Ping Plateau. A 30-minute subway ride from Kowloon. 11 Tat Tung Rd, Tung Chung, Lantau Island.

FOR A BARGAIN
TEMPLE STREET NIGHT MARKET Cheap Prada sunglasses, watches, iPhones, fortune tellers…. Rows of illuminated vendors pack this funky shopping hub in Kowloon, the mainland district of Hong Kong. Don’t be afraid to bargain with vendors. Open from 4pm to midnight (go after sunset for full effect).

BEST 35 CENTS YOU’LL EVER SPEND
STAR FERRY Regular service between Hong Kong and Kowloon. Cheap, convenient and spectacular views. Tsim Sha Tsui pier, Kowloon; Wan Chai and Central piers on Hong Kong side.

FOR DANCING
PROPAGANDA Part dance floor, part lounge, mostly gay party crowd. Busy on weekends and nightly after 1am. Gets packed when the other gay bars close. 1 Hollywood Rd, Central.

VOLUME Plays good dance music on weekends. Events are usually free. 83-85 Hollywood Rd, Central.

FOR A MARTINI
PSYCHIC JACK Cozy lounge atmosphere. Small dance floor. Free drink specials on Fridays. 30-32 Wyndham St, Central.

FOR LESBIANS
LES PECHES Monthly women’s party series (find info on Facebook). LaKage Club, Cosmos Building (third floor), 8-11 Lan Kwai Fong, Central.