Now there is little political opposition in the Legislative Council and the electoral reform law has passed without incident – ushering in a “new and improved” political ecosystem for Hong Kong – one would expect Legco meetings to run as smooth as silk, and the work of governance to be that of quiet clockwork efficiency. Legislators have passed changes to their chamber’s rule book , taking care of filibustering and disorderly conduct as part of their spring-cleaning exercise. And true to their patriotic commitment to home improvement, they are mulling new rules, such as subjecting themselves to a fine of HK$3,400 (US$438) for missing meetings without proper reason. Restoration of the honour and dignity bestowed on the council requires far more than just dress codes, fines and house rules, though. That was made evident last week by one particular lawmaker who had no qualms about displaying prejudice and legitimising discrimination. Abusing the privilege bestowed to lawmakers, in making Legco a platform for exclusion and hate, only harms the dignity of the chamber. The ugliness was on full display after lawmaker Regina Ip asked if and how the government would support the organisers of the Gay Games in November 2022, such as booking venues, and whether the administration would encourage participation in the Games. Ip’s question is important, not only because it is Pride Month, but because Hong Kong is the first Asian city to host the Games. The organiser estimates that the 12,000 people taking part in the Games will bring HK$1 billion in revenue to the city. To which lawmaker Junius Ho said: “It’s disgraceful … I don’t want dirty money .” Ho also said, “We respect people with different sexual orientation” but then added: “Whatever you do in your room, it’s your own business. But if you do it in public, it’s disgraceful.” In one breath, he reduced gender and sexual identity to what happens in the bedroom, while shaming the people he supposedly “respects”. So, it seems that gay people playing sports is disgraceful, according to Ho’s rationale. Ho is the “disgraceful” one here. But there’s more to it. We have called ourselves an international city for decades, and that supposedly means we espouse basic global values such as interconnectedness, openness and diversity . And since we are an international city that attracts international talent and people from all backgrounds, we are also committed to respecting and celebrating diversity. It is in this tenor that the Chinese tune of social harmony and social cohesion fits so well. A city that brings different people together through sports, arts and culture – a city that unites people – is exactly the sort of public relations we need. Ho’s comments not only belittle a group of people by reducing them solely to their sexual acts, they also dehumanise them – a hateful tactic of stigmatisation that has long been used against the Chinese. China’s “ century of humiliation ” saw the mistreatment, discrimination and the injuring and murder of countless Chinese people around the world. Campaigns were launched against the existence of Chinese in the United States, for example, using the same strategy of equating people with filth and uncleanliness. A page from the New York Daily Tribune dated September 29, 1854, read: “[The Chinese] are uncivilised, unclean, filthy beyond all conception […] lustful and sensual in their disposition; every female is a prostitute, and of the basest order […] the Chinese quarter of the city is a by-word for filth and sin.” Such tactics that come right out of an anti-Chinese playbook are despicable. Ho cannot claim he is ignorant of the rise in anti-Asian hate around the world. There is no excuse for Legco to allow such behaviour, given that such comments are inappropriate whether uttered inside or outside the chamber. Of all the bad behaviour legislators have banned, blatant prejudice and hate remain unregulated. And as long as this is the case, there will be no social harmony that Beijing requires. Alice Wu is a political consultant and a former associate director of the Asia Pacific Media Network at UCLA