Mr. Gay Hong Kong shows it’s not just a pretty face
Source: ActUp.org
You talk to any homosexual man or woman, and there will be a story of bullying somewhere in their life.” So says James Gannaban, the Executive Producer of Mr. Gay HK (MGHK). Although well known for its wild parties, and the international gay beauty pageant it springs from, MGHK is striving to be more integrated in the serious political issues of the LGBT community. “Often I’m asked what MGHK has to do with human rights or the gay agenda. The answer is nothing!” However, Gannaban is aware that the gay movement is moving towards a crossroads, especially in Hong Kong, and that every voice is crucial in building up support for the community: “Whether we like it or not, whoever is voted as Mr. Gay HK is thrust into a position of prominence.”
This prompted him to use this year’s pageant as a way of helping the Tongzhi Community Joint Meeting (TCJM) with their Tongzhi Tsai anti-bullying campaign, and further promote awareness of homosexuality in Hong Kong. He and the recently voted Mr Gay HK, Heihei Yau, travelled around LKF selling school-themed shooters, and will be making an anti-discrimination video following their return from the Mr. Gay World contest held in Manila last week.
The new interest was sparked by a report from the Boys and Girls Club Association (BGCA) as part of their reach-out program “Project Touch” which showed that out of 492 openly gay men and women in Hong Kong, 82.3 per cent realised their sexuality before the age of 15, 79.7 per cent of them were known to be homosexual by their classmates, and over half of them were discriminated and bullied against. Taking into consideration the small number of this survey, and large number of people who would not be openly gay due to the school bullying, the situation still seems to be serious. Barry Lee of Hong Kong AIDS Foundation is closely involved with the TCJM campaign, and feels that the solution lies in better training for teachers. “Most teachers are really empathetic and kind, but too often they are not equipped to talk about diversity.”
Lee is in touch with the Hong Kong Institute of Education, and is trying to work with them to put the subject of sexuality in their teacher training curriculum. “At the end of the day we want the government, especially the Education Bureau, to protect LGBT students against harassment” he says, “but the problem is there is no protection for LGBT in the general community. We need more evidence.”
This is why, as well as getting academic institutes like HKCU to conduct research, they are enlisting the help of organisations such as MGHK. An entertainment organisation reaches out to more people, and promoting a serious message in an entertaining way is vital in Hong Kong’s timid gay community. Gannaban knows the importance of this, “There needs to be some sort of meat to what we do,” he says. “You know how people say a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down? That’s us.” MGHK has already donated over $25,000 to the campaign, and hopeful about the success of the recent trip to Manila, he and TCJM aim to continue creating fun and building foundations for the LGBT community of the future.
Hannah Slapper
TimeOut…
