Pride Month 2022: how do you talk about LGBTQ issues? Better education would go a long way, says Hong Kong rights advocate

Benita Chick Ben-yue raises awareness of LGBTQ issues in Hong Kong through workshops for companies and schools and tours of the city’s streets

As a Catholic who attended a convent school, she understands parents may not know how to react if children struggle with their sexual identity and urges empathy

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Benita Chick Ben-yue, who grew up gay in the Catholic school system in Hong Kong, talked to the Post about raising LGBTQ awareness in the city. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Published: 12:45pm, 7 Jun 2022Updated: 1:34pm, 7 Jun 2022

Benita Chick Ben-yue doesn’t hesitate when asked where she wants to be interviewed ahead of Pride Month, when LGBTQ communities around the world come together in celebration of their freedom to be themselves.

“Let’s meet at The Eaton – it’s really supportive of the LGBTQ+ community,” says Chick of the retro-inspired hotel in Jordan, Kowloon that’s also an incubator of Hong Kong creatives and changemakers.

Chick is all about positive change, and she’s achieving it through community outreach programmes and various roles with charities from Aids Concern Hong Kong to the Pink Alliance.

Advocates for LGBTQ rights in the city fear any criticism of government policies could be stifled by a new wave of conservatism ushered in by the national security law passed in 2020.

Chick raises awareness by hosting walking tours that explore the city’s LGBT culture and history. Photo: courtesy of Benita Chick

There have been some legal victories – one of the biggest occurred in 2021, when a separating lesbian couple were recognised as legal guardians of their two children. But there is still a long way to go. Recognising same-sex marriage would be a positive step forward, says Chick.