How gay pride in Hong Kong struggles against a Chinese culture of prejudice fed by religion

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A marcher at Hong Kong Pride Parade in November 2012, which was organised around the theme “Dare To Love”. A number of court rulings in recent months have brought the issue of LGBT rights into focus. Photo: Nora Tam

Published: 4:32pm, 9 Jul 2018Updated: 11:07pm, 9 Jul 2018

An intolerant or negative attitude towards sexual minorities has been a long-standing global concern, with such prejudice having been prevalent around the world at some time or other.

Sexual minorities, or LGBT groups, have long been a taboo subject, too sensitive to be discussed openly by many socially conservative Hongkongers under the city’s dominant heteronormative culture of intimacy. Even now, sexual prejudice and heteronormativity continue to dominate our understanding of sexuality.

Homosexuals are frequently viewed as both a challenge and a threat to the established norms within both a Chinese family and a Chinese society that rests on the supremacy of male roles, continuation of the family line and a strong sense of filial piety under the influence of Confucianism.

Parents or grandparents pass on these cultural values to the next generation through the process of socialisation. Sexual minorities who do not conform to these parental expectations or family values are simply perceived as being morally wrong and bringing shame to their families.

Meanwhile, in the eyes of many mainstream religions, same-sex attractions are constantly treated as unwanted, and sexual minorities are encouraged to restore their sexual wholeness and appreciate the gender identity granted to them by God.

Watch: Same-sex couples win right to Hong Kong spousal visas

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