What a Difference a Gay Makes

Sometimes it’s not easy being gay in Hong Kong. We have some pretty discriminatory laws and we lack GLBT leaders of the same stature as Ellen DeGeneres, Dustin Lance Black or Amanda Lepore. But that is no reason to write the city off as some kind of homophobic backwater—there are plenty of loud and proud pioneers from all walks of life who are working hard to advance LGBT issues here. So word ‘em up, sisters and misters—we salute you.

The Literary Butch—Nigel Collett

One could say Nigel Collett is quite the man’s man. He spent 20 years in the British Army, which he describes as some of the best years of his life. “The army stretches both body and mind, and also throws you into some fascinating political situations,” he says. Unfortunately, army life didn’t allow for any gay life. Nor did it allow for his lurking desire to write. He soon found himself faced with a stark choice: leave the army or stay in the closet forever. He ended up choosing the former in 1985, while stationed in Fan Ling and Sai Kung. Hong Kong was “like heaven” at that time, he reminisces, and he instantly fell in love with the place. He started his own bodyguard business, and then his writing career, writing first for G Magazine and then for Fridae.com, a Pan-Asian gay website. Yet Collett felt that Hong Kong needed a bigger literary gay voice. He became a moderator for the HK Literary Festival for four years and then went on to run the Tongzhi Literary Group (where like-minded queer intellectuals meet to discuss fine topics such as, “is there such a thing as a gay novel?”). In 2004, he worked for a Masters of Biography at the University of Buckingham, and the result was the book “Butcher of Amritsar,” “the least gay book ever.” says Collett. His small mission now is to introduce the English-speaking gay expat community to what the gay Chinese community does. “It’s time to expose the expat community to a bigger Hong Kong, not just Lan Kwai Fong. Writing is a very good way to do that,” he says. The former Lieutenant-Colonel never dreamed that his life would turn out this way. “Tremendous fun,” he says.

The Publishing Fairy—Joe Lam

A previous stalwart of the club scene, local stylist and iconoclast Joe Lam decided in 2001 to round up a group of like-minded collaborators to publish DS, or Dimsum Magazine. It’s currently the only gay mag in the village, and has gone from fun, part-time fashionista project to a vocal platform for the gay community. Recently, the magazine has embraced its role in speaking up for Hong Kong’s gay community, tackling more serious issues such as Aids awareness, and Lam himself became the acting director for this year’s Hong Kong Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.

Does the stylista feel that he has made a lot of headway in taking Hong Kong’s gay community more mainstream? “We’ve made progress in many ways, but there are a few fringe religious groups that have attacked us in the past few years, trying to portray a negative image of gays to the public. Frankly, if they have issues with our sexuality, they should just shut up, and stop talking about things they don’t really understand.”

The Pride March Lynchpin—Wei Siu-lik

Also known as Ah lik, Wei Siu-lik is one of the founders of the Women Coalition of the HKSAR (WCHK). Fiercely proud of her sexuality, she describes her upbringing as one with “no objections or rejections from anyone that mattered.” Beneath Liklik’s calm demeanor lies an iron-clad devotion to the LGBT movement. And she’s not just working to provide visibility to the gay and lesbian community, but also to sex workers, transsexuals and other sexually marginalized members of society.

Together with girlfriend Connie Chan and fellow activist Waiwai, they form the inseparable trinity of the WCHK, who have turned campaigning on behalf of the sexual minority movement into lifelong careers.

They have their own radio channel, “Gau Mut Gwai,” (“What the Hell’s Going On?”) and also organize events, including the monumental first official Hong Kong Pride Parade, which took place last November. How best to sum up her commitment to a harmonious, inclusive Hong Kong? She says it best herself: “There’s no need to panic. Queers are everywhere already.”
Women Coalition: 8103-0701, www.wchk.org

The Drag Queen—Coco Pop

Coco Pop (aka fundraiser and party planner Bryan Chan) is the ferocious drag queen hostess with the mostest. The star of AIDS Concern’s educational video series, “Bedazzle Kitchen,” Coco and her sidekick (drag princess protégé Karolina Lista) promote Aids awareness by parodying local cooking shows. They prepare “dishes” named after STDs to educate the public about safe sex in a bitchy, entertaining, and above all, highly memorable manner. But aside from her mockstar status, Coco is also on a mission to promote drag culture, as well as dispel the myths surrounding drag queens. “Hong Kong doesn’t quite understand the difference between the transgendered, the transvestites and the drag queens, who are more ‘mascots’ for the LGBT community than anything else—you can’t have a pride parade without a drag queen!” she says. By amassing her “Queen Collection,” a group of young, aspiring drag artists, she’s inspiring the next generation of queens to step out in their five-inch heels. Her look is inspired by the classics: Anita Mui, Grace Jones, RuPaul, and the MAC makeup collection for Dame Edna. But what does it really take to become a drag queen? “It’s impossible unless you have a love of the spotlight and theatrics; becoming a drag queen is not just for laughs—it’s a performance art. There’s so much to think about for just one look: the hair, the heels, the clothes, the makeup, the fake tits...” She’s already planning a green eco-dress for Halloween, and recording something for the HKGLB film fest later this year. You go, girl.
Watch Coco Pop talk about STDs (Cantonese only)