Henry Tse, who lodged an unsuccessful judicial review, tells how living life as a transgender person can be difficult in Hong Kong
- Born female, Henry Tse began transitioning while living in Britain but has found being accepted as a man much harder since moving back to Hong Kong
- Tse was one of three people who lodged a judicial review to win the right to have their gender changed on their Hong Kong ID. The review was dismissed on Friday
Henry Tse uses a recent critically acclaimed film to sum up Hong Kong’s attitudes towards transgender people.
He takes issue with the portrayal of a transgender woman in Tracy, a melodrama which explores the struggle of a middle-aged father who suddenly decides to leave his wife and become a woman.
One scene follows actor Philip Keung Ho-men, who plays the titular protagonist, swaggering proudly in Hong Kong’s SoHo district after cross-dressing in public for the first time.
“But that’s not what it was like for my friends. And when I first transitioned, I was really lacking in confidence,” Tse says.
Yet the film won plaudits from local critics, Tse complains. Having lived in Britain for eight years, he says the reception would have been a lot different if a film had shown that kind of portrayal overseas.
That may well embody the struggles and ignorance he has encountered since moving back to Hong Kong two years ago.
