Last weekend, I went with a co-worker down to Hong Kong to celebrate and participate in a gay pride event, starting at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay. I have never actually been to a pride event in any big city (just my hometown pride events), so I wanted to partake. This was important because, as we all know, Asia is not at the forefront of passing civil rights the same way that many western countries have, particularly in terms of LGBT rights.

The weather forecast was not promising, and indeed, the rain did come down on Saturday (but not Sunday). On Sunday, it was quite nice and sunny (after the event was over, of course). This meant a long march through the streets while getting our pants, socks, and shoes wet. While I’m at it, I should note that this “parade” was not what many of us would associate a parade with. There were no floats, no musicians marching, or people throwing goodies to the crowds. Instead, it was really a march with different LGBT activist groups and their supporters. While waiting for the march to begin, we listened to people on a podium discussing gay rights and giving motivational chants in between (in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese). Unfortunately, the Asian way of giving speeches means going on and on and on and on and on ad nauseam. I guess that was redundant, sorry. In the meantime, we decided to take some photos and managed to have our own taken.

It was hard to tell where the actual parade participants started and where the onlookers were to follow. We basically ended up just marching alongside the parade participants, which was fine with us.

While waiting, my coworker and I were photographed a handful of times and “interviewed” twice (once for a girl from Australia or New Zealand who has a YouTube channel and the other for two local Hong Kong women doing an event story). It was also important for me to march, not just because I am a member of the LGBT community but also because of what I learned while waiting for the march to begin. Same-sex marriage is, of course, not recognized here. There is currently a call to pass an anti-discrimination law for LGBT citizens, though. I wanted to show my support for the people here to fight for their rights the way that many others have around the world. Right now, Taiwan seems to be the most progressive Asian nation in terms of LGBT rights. They don’t currently have same-sex marriage, but there are currently three proposals that will be voted on that, if passed, would allow for same-sex marriage and same-sex adoption rights. On a side note, the gay pride parade in Taipei looked way more interesting and flashy from the photos I saw than what occurred in Hong Kong. Another reason why I love Taiwan.

Some might think that Thailand, a place where “lady boys” are seen as a normal part of society and where Buddhism is the biggest practiced religion, would be a leader in LGBT rights. However, after doing some reading, I discovered that it’s not nearly the gay-friendly nation that it tries to project itself as (see this article):

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/lgbt-thailand_us_5616472ee4b0dbb8000d30a6).

Any way, we would have stayed longer at the after-event had it not been cold and wet. Instead, we opted to look for new shoes (which I was already in need of), so this seemed like the time to do it. But I did get to snap this photo before we left.

We also didn’t end up going out to any of the clubs after events, but that’s OK. All in all, I’m glad that I participated in the event, and I certainly hope that the citizens here can push for legislation that would put them in the same group as other nations in protecting and promoting freedom and civil rights.