It’s been a while since I used a travel agent to plan a trip. But a major travel agent in Belgium posted a deal one can’t refuse in a newsletter in June 2023. Flights from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol to Hong Kong with Cathay Pacific and three nights at the four-star Park Hotel Hong Kong in the Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon area. So I messaged Oriol in ‘panic’ and pressured him to decide quickly (as the deal was popular and the the offer limited in time and availability) to come along to this Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People’s Republic of China. Being four days in Hong Kong, we used one of these days to Macau (also often spelled Macao) the other SAR. We were there in November 2023.

I am less proficient with uhm gay activities than you might think. But before travelling to Hong Kong and Macau Thanh asked me if I would “do gay stuff” in Hong Kong. And Oriol is an avid Grindr chatter. I don’t want to use the world “pressured” but let’s say I was motivated to take some gay action. 

I dare to say I’m well versed in LGBTQIA+ topics worldwide. So I think I had some idea how Hong Kong as society and Hong Kong’s government relates to queers and queer issues. 

Wikipedia

A good place to gauge how gay (un)friendly a place is, is Wikipedia. Just search “LGBT rights in” and the place. “Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Hong Kong (a special administrative region of China) may face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents.”

“After the 1967 decriminalisation of homosexuality in the United Kingdom, there were moves to undertake a similar reform in Hong Kong. Governor Murray MacLehose (from 1971 to 1982) privately supported gay rights but he and others felt that the local community would not support decriminalisation.”

Wikipedia always lists some key parameters to gauge the gay-friendliness of a place. This is the list in November 2023, when I was in Hong Kong.

• Same-sex sexual activity legal: Yes (Since 1991);
• Equal age of consent: Yes (Since 2006);
• Anti-discrimination laws in employment: No.
• Anti-discrimination laws in the provision of goods and services: No;
• Anti-discrimination laws in all other areas (incl. indirect discrimination, hate speech): No;
• Same-sex marriage(s): No;
• Recognition of same-sex couples: No;
• Step-child adoption by same-sex couples: Yes (Since 2021);
• Joint adoption by same-sex couples: No;
• Adoption by single people regardless of sexual orientation: No;
• Gays and lesbians allowed to serve openly in the military: Not applicable, China is responsible for national defence.
• Right to change legal gender: Yes;
• Access to IVF for lesbians: No;
• Commercial surrogacy for gay male couples: No;
• MSMs allowed to donate blood:Since 2017, with a 1 year deferral period. 

IGLTA

“The ‘East meets West’ nature of Hong Kong encapsulates a vibrant city that is reasonably LGBTQ+ friendly (especially given its location in Asia) and has a growing and politically engaged LGBTQ+ community with exciting gay bars, LGBTQ+-friendly restaurants and shops throughout the city.”, the International Gay  & Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) assesses the SAR. 

ILGA Asia

ILGA Asia doesn’t say much on Hing Kong and hasn’t published an Annual Report since 2020. 

Cathay Pacific

Hong Kong’s best known airline Cathay Pacific has a page dedicated to LGBTQI+. 

“Hong Kong is often cited as one of the world’s most convenient and cosmopolitan cities. It’s also increasingly an inclusive LGBTQI+ destination – and will host Asia‘s very first Gay Games in 2022. The nine-day sporting and cultural festival will welcome 15,000 participants to compete in 36 events”, Arthur Tam wrote clearly before the event. 

Founder and chair Dennis Philipse is quoted: “It’s a one-of-a-kind place where shopping, fine dining, country parks, beaches and nightlife are within walking distance of each other”.

“The city is indeed unique, with an unmatched skyline, a colourful blend of cultures and a diverse social scene – including the city’s LGBTQI+ community. While there’s arguably still room to grow, there are plenty of ways beyond Hong Kong’s gay bars to experience the loud and proud LGBTQI+ scene and its hippest hangouts.”

Cathay Pacific then lists a number of queer spaces in Hong Kong:

• Mum’s Not Home, a “Queer Tween Cafe’. 1/F 302 Shanghai Street.
• Madame Quad, a safe space and roller derby. 2C, 2/F Po Foo Building, 1-5 Foo Ming Street, Causeway Bay.
• Queer Reads Library, a mobile literary engagement. No fixed address. 
• Restaurant T:me. 65 Hollywood Road.
• Happy Paradise, ’80s disco and Cantonese cuisine. UG/F, 52-56 Staunton Street, Central.
• The monthly party Host at Mihn Club. 4F, 279 Des Voeux Rd Central, Sheung Wan.
• Bing Bing is the late-night hotspot for wild weekends. “The closest you get to a circuit party in Hong Kong”, Tam writes. 22/F Oliv 15 Sharp St East, Causeway Bay.
• Petticoat Lane: Fierce Drag Performances. 8F, California Tower, 30-32 D’Aguilar Street, Central.
• Middle Bay Beach, where nudity is encouraged. “Nude sunbathing isn’t strictly permitted in Hong Kong, but that doesn’t stop some some sunseekers at Middle Bay Beach. There are two beaches at this bay: the more secluded one on the northern side is very queer and nude affirming.” Island Road, Deep Water Bay.
• South Bay Beach: idyllic and tourist-free. Island Road, Deep Water Bay.
• Out in HK is “an opportunity for members of the LGBTQI+ community to bond through outdoor adventures without the crutch of a vodka soda (at least not until happy hour)”. 

Arthur Tam also lists some events and festivals. 

• Pink Season: Hong Kong’s version of pride month. From late September to early November, Hong Kong’s premier LGBTQI+ festival Pink Season.
• Pink Dot. Usually held around October on open green spaces like Admiralty’s Tamar Park or West Kowloon’s lawns, Pink Dot features food, drink and music by Hong Kong’s most popular artists and allies. At Pink Dot, people are expected to wear pink so at a given moment they can join together to create a giant dot, which is captured from above by a drone. Pink Dot originated in Singapore.
• Hong Kong Pride Parade. Normally in November, thousands gather in Causeway Bay’s Victoria Park for the Hong Kong Pride Parade. But in 2023 there was no parade.
• Hong Kong Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.
• Floatilla, HK’s NaviGAYtion. “Hong Kong’s subtropical waters mean that October is still a good time to hit the high seas. Enter Floatilla: a fleet of junk boats carrying gay men (along with the occasional lesbian ship) for a day of sun, swim and drinks.”

Hidden away Gay Games 11

We were in Hong Kong in November. By coincidence between the Gay Games 11 and Hong Kong Pride. So we missed the action. Or not. XI Gay Games 2023, also known as Gay Games 11, GGHK2023, GGGDL2023 and Hong Kong – Guadalajara Gay Games 2023 were die to be held in 2022 but were postponed due to strict COVID-19 travel restrictions. 

The Gay Games in Hong Kong did not receive government support. Quite the opposite. 

The government did not send officials to the opening ceremony, warning the organisers in August that the Games must be conducted in a “lawful, safe and orderly manner”, Reuters wrote at the time. 

The Chinese central government in Beijing imposed the National Security Law (NSL) on the city in 2020 after months of anti-government protests. The law punishes subversion, collusion with foreign forces and terrorism with terms of up to life in prison.

Regina Ip, convener of the city’s top decision-making body the Executive Council, was the only pro-establishment figure at the opening ceremony, despite calls from anti-LGBTQ lawmakers for her to resign.

“The holding of the Gay Games in Hong Kong is strong testimony to the diversity, inclusion, and unity of our city,” Ip said in her welcoming speech. “Equal opportunity and non-discrimination are highly treasured by our government and our people.”

Pro-Beijing lawmaker Junius Ho had sent a letter to the city’s leader John Lee, saying that the agenda of the gay games is to promote same-sex marriage, accusing it of violating the NSL.

Five Hong Kong human rights activists also called for the Games to be cancelled in June, saying organisers “have aligned themselves with pro-authoritarian figures responsible for widespread persecution against the people of Hong Kong”.

Taiwan did not send athletes to Hong Kong but to co-host Guadalajara in Mexico, citing security concerns over the NSL.

Opposition did not dampen the excitement, spectators chanted, cheered and waved before the opening ceremony. This is a good idea because especially China is not very fond of the gays. So this is to become visible in China as queer people,” said Gerrit Schulz, 80, a participant from Berlin to Reuters.

No pride parade

The weekend after we left should have Hong Kong Pride with parade, but the parade was cancelled. The police – who had rejected the request for a permit in 2019 – did not have to this time. The pride organisers themselves decided it wouldn’t be a smart move.

So Hong Kong Pride was a mostly indoor affair, out of sight. 

At the table

While we were there, we met up with a Belgo-HK gay couple from Antwerp. Oriol knew them. They told Central, with its many expacts, is more gay friendly than Kowloon. Queer people on Hong Kong Island dare to be more openly themselves there. In Kowloon they’re more discreet.

We visited two bars. Boo Bar (5/F Pearl Oriental Tower, 225 Nathan Road, Kowloon), a bear bar on the fifth floor (that’s the ‘5/F’ in the address). It’s odd to get out of the lift and fall into the bar. No corridor or extra entrance. A cosy place with cocktails and bears. 

Zoo Bar (33 Jervois Street, Sheung Wan) was more twink-oriented. Although its Instagram page shows more diversity. 

We went out on a Wednesday and both bars were fairly crowded for a weekday. At both places we were assigned a table. A Hong Kong thing or a remnant of COVID-19 countermeasures?  Apparently, it’s common to go out like this in Asia, where you don’t intermix with other groups. I don’t know.

At Zoo Bar there was a birthday party, with the birthday boy not getting a cake, but a pig with a candle. Such a party animal…

Hook-ups

I also went on Grindr to find some local action. Yes, there were faceless profiles, but they all showed their face in a private message. People in Antwerp are on hook-up apps without a face as well. Perhaps more in HK. 

I loved how straightforward the gus are / were. I was a visitor looking for locals, they were locals looking for visitors. So yes, there’s some objectifying Asians / Caucasians going here. But as long as we are / were on the same page, why not have sex?

Language was a barrier. My first hook-up spoke English okay. The second one not. We had to use Google Translate. English proficiency in HK is not that great.

So?

The 1997 take-over of Hong Kong by the PRC certainly has changed Hong Kong. But 1997, that’s over 25 years ago. It’s only relatively recently Beijing is really pressuring its citizens to conform.

Also, let’s not pretend British Rule at home and overseas was so queer friendly before 1997. Very much not. So nostalgia is not warranted. 

Nowadays it seems queer people make do with the new context. It emphasizes the importance of queer safe spaces (indoors) where people can be themselves. 

Hong Kong & Macau 2023

1. REVIEW | Cathay Pacific Airbus A350 in Economy – Amsterdam Schiphol to Hong Kong.
2. HONG KONG | Tsim Sha Tsui – Golden Mile & Nathan Road – Kowloon Park – Sneaker Street & Fa Yuen Street Market – A Symphony of Lights – Temple Street Night Market.
3. REVIEW | Park Hotel Hong Kong in Kowloon.
4. HONG KONG ISLAND CENTRAL DISTRICT | Man Mo Temple – Lan Fong Yuen – Central–Mid-Levels escalator – Victoria Peak & Peak Tram – tram – Victoria Park – Star Ferry.