Gay pride in Hong Kong: top diplomats join 10,000 in march after top Catholic's anti-gay letter causes outrage
More people than ever before turned out for Hong Kong's gay pride march yesterday, just days after city's top Catholic cleric criticised same-sex marriage and in effect urged Christians not to vote for candidates who back gay rights in this month's key District Council elections.
More people than ever before turned out for Hong Kong's gay pride march yesterday, just days after city's top Catholic cleric criticised same-sex marriage and in effect urged Christians not to vote for candidates who back gay rights in this month's key District Council elections.
Organisers said 9,500 people - among them 10 top diplomats from the United States, Britain and France and other countries - took part in Hong Kong's seventh annual Pride Parade, during which former health chief York Chow Yat-ngok - who now heads the Equal Opportunities Commission - criticised "politics getting involved in church beliefs".
READ MORE: Catholic bishop of Hong Kong hits out at gay marriage and tells flock to consider the issue before voting
During the rally, the government was urged to take immediate action to enact laws to protect sexual minorities against discrimination.
Tommy Jai, one of the parade organisers, said: "We have waited 20 years for anti-discrimination legislation already, and that's far too long."
Chow said a new generation of lawmakers and mindsets meant Hong Kong was ready to debate liberal ideas.
Leading gay-rights group Pink Alliance ridiculed Cardinal John Tong Hon's suggestion that gay marriage would trigger social disorder. The group pointed out that Denmark recognised same-sex marriage in 1989, then introduced same-sex legislation in 2012, and remained one of the happiest countries in the world according to several studies.
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Tong's pastoral letter released on Thursday said sexual liberalisation and the gay-rights movement had "shaken our society to its core".
His message said: "In the upcoming District Council election and future polls, I urge all believers … to consider candidates' and their parties' stance on family and marriage issues, as well as their position on a law to ban discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation."
The Reverend Grace Bok Sha-lun, from the One Body in Christ church in Jordan, weighed in, criticising Tong's "agenda" to "mobilise the Catholics not to vote for candidates" who are gay or supporters of sexual minorities.
"The statement is full of discrimination, and it's contradictory to our core values of our Christian faith ... which should welcome everyone," she said.
One of the envoys who took part in yesterday's parade - Caroline Wilson, Britain's consul general to Hong Kong - told the : "There's discrimination in Hong Kong. And it's wrong."
List of consul generals and diplomatic representatives supporting LGBT rights at the Hong Kong Pride Parade 2015:
Eric Berti, the Consul General from France
Caroline Wilson, the British Consul General
Karsten Tietz, the Deputy Consul General from Germany
Tom Cooney, the Deputy Consul General from the United States
Wictoria Amandustin Weinstock, the Deputy Consul General from Sweden
Caitriona O’Sullivan, the Vice Consul from Ireland
Shalini Anand, the Consul from Canada
Wilhelm Zemp, the Vice Consul from Switzerland
Steven Hodge, the Vice Consul from Australia
Minna Tikka from Finland Consul General Office
Jolita Pons, the Head of Political, Press and Information Section of the EU Office
Robert Ness, Director, British Council Hong Kong
