The Hong Kong exhibition asking ‘why not here?’ for same-sex marriage
Photos and short film project raise awareness for LGBT rights
Photographer Laura Simonsen is exhibiting photos and a short film of same-sex married couples living in Hong Kong to raise awareness of how these civil partnerships are not recognised in the city.
On display at The Barbers Basement in Central for three days from Tuesday, the aptly named exhibition “Why not here?” showcases 13 same-sex couples who are “legally married in another country but settled in Hong Kong”, Simonsen said, to showcase how the territory is falling behind in marriage equality.
Twenty countries worldwide permit same-sex unions, while just one in Asia, Taiwan, legalised it in May this year. In mainland China, marriage is defined as a union between a man and a woman and, although it is not illegal to be gay, homosexuality was listed as a mental disorder until 2001.
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The “success case” generated considerable discussion in the city – well-timed for her fourth solo exhibition, said Simonsen, who herself is in a same-sex relationship.
Although her previous exhibitions have all focused on Hong Kong’s LGBT scene that she describes as “underground, not talked about, secretive”, she credits her partner with the idea of the exhibition.
