http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFfrjyy1aMo

Thank you, Anthony! We love you!!

A Call to Arms – IDAHOT Commemoration, Chater Gardens, 3pm Sat 12 May 2012

Over two years ago, the people who still ‘run’ the Pride Parade flunked the test and abandoned the parade for 2010, trying to justify themselves by blaming HK’s LGBT community for not providing funds.  This was a lie, as in reality, they had not asked us for any.  At the same time, within two months of the event, they dumped the annual commemoration of IDAHO, this time without even bothering to give a reason.

The TCJM, now the Pink Alliance, stepped in and, with many others in HK’s LGBT community, has run the annual commemoration of IDAHO ever since.

Last November, Hong Kong’s new Labour Party adopted a platform for implementing LGBT rights.  Three months later, this February, Regina Ip’s New People’s Party did the same.  These were historic developments. No parties in Hong Kong had ever done this before, even the Democrats and Civic Party, hitherto regarded as the LGBT community’s natural allies. It was particularly exciting that Regina Ip, hitherto widely seen as a conservative politician, had been persuaded of the rightness of supporting LGBT rights, even though it must have been clear to her that this is in fact the opposite of a vote winner in Hong Kong.  She stuck her neck out for us, bravely.

When this year’s IDAHOT (with an added T for transphobia) Organising Committee began to plan this year’s event, it invited politicians of all complexions to attend. Regina Ip was one of these, naturally, after her courageous adoption of our cause. She was unable to attend, but instead recorded a video of support. The Organising Committee placed this on the IDAHOT Facebook page.

The Organising Committee also secured the agreement of pop star Anthony Wong to attend. He has only recently come out in public. This was a coup, and one perhaps not at all to the taste of those who had earlier walked out on organising IDAHO.

Now, the groups who originally walked out of the IDAHO event over two years ago, and who continue to mismanage the Pride Parade (you may very well ask yourself when it is this year; they won’t get their act together to tell you till two months before it) have decided to raise a hue and cry about Regina Ip’s participation. She is not a fit person, they say, because of her conservative political record, to be associated with IDAHOT.  They claim that Regina Ip has been appointed some sort of spokesman for IDAHOT. This is a plain lie. They make the ludicrous claim that she is seeking votes.

What is worse, they are calling for a boycott of the event.  They are seeking to make a political point, no matter that it damage Hong Kong’s demonstration of its solidarity with the oppressed LGBT people of the world.

I can think of no way better than this to ensure that no middle ground or conservative politician associates themselves with the struggle for LGBT rights in Hong Kong in the near future.

So, please come out to be there on Saturday afternoon and in silence help us commemorate the wrongs done to our tribe worldwide.

Yours ever,

Nigel Collett (English Secretary, Pink Alliance)

Michael Vidler (Legal Adviser)

Reggie Ho, Chairman of the Pink Alliance, had this to say:
“With tongzhi groups expressing different views, it reflects an open and diverse society. But before launching a criticism, one should first get the full picture. Regina Ip is not a spokesperson of this year’s IDAHOT rally, she’s one of the legislators supportive of the event. As she cannot attend on the day, she decided to show her support through a video. At the event, there will be pro-democratic legislators in attendance, which shows that our supporters come from different political backgrounds, and they all seek common ground while reserving differences. Unfortunately, the individuals who are organising the May 17 street forum did not seek clarification from IDAHOT organising committee, nor did they show any interest in a dialogue, before they acted in a way that said ‘you’re either with us or against us’. Moreover, the theme of the street forum seems to suggest that there is only one ideology that can define the tongzhi (LGBT) movement, and if anyone tries to seek the advancement of LGBT rights in different ways, they will be branded as “stealing” the tongzhi (LGBT) movement. It seems a little arrogant. I hope that in the future, all different groups can seek to resolve differences through communication and not unilateral accusations and divisive action.”

For more information on IDAHOT 2012, please click here. Thank you!

Fact: Homosexuality was NOT illegal in India until British ruled the country for 100 years and made it illegal to be involved in homosexual relationships.

Fact: Indian mythology shows Gay, Lesbian and Transgendered Gods and Goddesses

Fact: India is the only nation that accepted and respect Eunuchs as well since thousands of years, other countries slowly came to term with it. (Not same as gay but yet another sexuality/gender than the male or female)

Fact: United Kingdom made Civil Unions legal ages ago, and Homosexuality was legal for much longer and discrimination is illegal since decades.

Fact: Draconian British laws stuck in India against homosexuality for long time and it is only in 2008-2009 the honorable courts helped change things legally by recognizing homosexuality as natural and legal orientation.

Fact: The video below is in Hindi but if you have a friend who can translate, please do watch this with them.. an amazing feature on Indian Mother’s coming out in support of their Gay and Lesbian children in India.

I had to personally come out to my mother TWICE in my life and there is a whole story behind it. But My mother has always been supportive, initially struggled with understanding but never rejected me or disowned me, only wanted to understand better. Like any mother, she questioned herself if she did something wrong in raising me, but now she understands better and the journey together is amazing.

I highly recommend watching this video, spreading it, liking it – making it known – no matter where in the world you are, it is okay to be who you are!
Thanks guys

Source: http://szebastian.com/sex/gayindia/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meNrKrNKFtE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pM1qlHUmJP4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvkstQ-UshI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvugQnfOdq4

TALK TO CIS – 10 APRIL 2012

INTRODUCTION

Introduce self.  Describe the Pink Alliance (TCJM.).  Define LGBT.

Aim in this talk to outline the situation in which Hong Kong’s LGBT community finds itself in 2012.

Firstly, I use the phrase ‘LGBT Community’ very loosely. There is really no one community.  Most people of ‘sexual minorities’ or ‘diverse sexuality’ (5-10% of the population) are not out. The 3,000 at a Pride Parade, including visitors, represents something like .04% of the Hong Kong population. Of those who are out, few form part of any community.  The very small minority that does is divided by interest and group politics.  Groups are small; some reaching only single figures, the Pink Alliance growing and now at about 80.  Problems in talking of a community include:

L and G meet infrequently and behave very differently.  B is invisible. For the most part. T is very isolated and small in numbers.

Politically, there is a big divide in activist groups.  Here is the list. They divide into radical and moderate and sadly the twain hardly meet. [Handout 1].

 Yet for convenience I will talk about them as a community.  Their fight against discrimination is the uniting factor.

THE STRUGGLE IN HONG KONG

Where are we now?  Something of a resurgence in LGBT activism. the history of which can be divided into three phases [Handout 2]:

1980s-90s . The struggle to decriminalise same-sex relations and the reaction to that struggle.  Features of this period:

 Government created problem by over-rigorous enforcement against own officials in 1979-81 leading to a backlash and a Commission of Enquiry recommending following Britain to decriminalise.

 This caused conservative reaction of religious elements, politicians and business community.

This in turn led to LGBT community coming out and organising for the first time.

1990s-2000s. The fight for anti-discrimination legislation.

Driven by liberal legislators and British Government acceptance of the case and UN obligations.

Reaction caused the anti-discrimination bill to be split and delayed.

Increasing number of LGBT organisations to provide community support and entertainment in a pre-internet age.

Period of radical act up.

2000s The spread of US-style culture wars, the increase in reaction and consequent Government indecision, but enactment of the DVO amendment in 2009.

Government surveys for the bill on sexual orientation showed less than majority support.

Surveys stimulated Christian opposition which became increasingly public and swayed Government.

LGBT community comes of age but fractures and loses membership due to alternatives.

Fight for the DVO amendment, establishment of IDAHO and Pride Parade are key events.

THE CURRENT STRUGGLE

What is being done now to fight for legislation?

Events are:

IDAHOT – 17 May.

Pride - November.

Pink Season including  – HKLGFF, Floatilla, Mr Gay Hong Kong, Out in the Open -  November to December.

Strategy

We are aiming to have a bill against discrimination introduced but:

Long term.  No quick fixes. Government opposition and indifference. Fundamentalist Christian opposition. Business suspicion. Public indifference or hostility.

Christine Loh: “Change the geography”.  Alter opinions in vitals sectors by education and incremental change.

Currently a multi-pronged approach:

Law: Individual cases against discrimination – currently one on the issue of visas for foreign LGBT spouses, against police action at 2011 IDAHO, against the RTHK re Dr Ho’s ‘Smiley’ programme of 2010 and one on transgender marriage rights. Aim is to use Basic Law and Common Law to overturn discriminatory statutes and regulations.

Academic:Surveys; Legal, social, AIDS etc conferences; Queer Asia series HKU Press; University courses at HKU and CU.

Employment:  Community Business, IBM and Goldman Sachs diversity survey, guide and index. Force Government to implement its own code of employment across the public sector.

Education: Bullying. BGCA survey and campaign. LGBT issues – syllabus content. Keep reparative therapy out.

Social Welfare: Keep reparative therapy out.

THE FIGHT FOR A BILL AGAINST DSICRIMINATION

Hong Kong has currently failed to legislate to outlaw discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity. This is despite the Hong Kong Government having signed international covenants that oblige it to pass such legislation, a refusal to act which it justifies by the argument that there is currently a ‘lack of consensus’ in Hong Kong society.  On 10 February 2010, in a verbal response to the TCJM’s submission to the Panel on Constitutional Affairs on Hong Kong’s 3rd report to the UN on International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), the Government re-iterated that it ‘has no plans’ to introduce such legislation.

This is despite the fact that it is obligated to do so under the ICESCR UN Covenant signed by an earlier Hong Kong Government. Fourteen international human rights treaties apply to Hong Kong. Six of these oblige governments to submit periodic reports to the UN treaty monitoring bodies. One of these, the ICESCR, of which China is also a signatory, obliges the Hong Kong Government to implement anti-discrimination policies across the whole spectrum.

Discriminatory provisions therefore remain in many areas of Hong Kong’s legislation and administration, such as immigration, medical care, education and criminal law.  Hong Kong’s LGBT people continue to suffer discrimination in their day-to-day lives, a state of affairs not remediable by any legal means, except in very rare circumstances for LGB, and except for transgender people, against whom discrimination can be rectified by the Equal Opportunities Commission under legislation outlawing discrimination against the disabled.

WHY IS THIS ISSUE IMPORTANT?

What does all of this matter to Hong Kong?  The problem affects perhaps 5-10% of the Hong Kong population, whom its Government does not protect against inequality and abuse. The areas in which this occur include:

 Employment – lack of legislation prevents LGBT employees from being honest and open about themselves and thus from committing themselves fully to their teams.  It leaves them open to fear of loss of employment or promotion.  In the worst companies, and sadly I include here Government departments employing social workers and teachers, it allows flagrant abuse of people’s rights and livelihoods and still leads to harassment and dismissal.

Relationships – it is not permitted to marry or engage in a legally-recognised civil partnership with a person of the same sex in Hong Kong.  Transgender people are unable to marry in their new gender.

Immigration – same sex dependents are unrecognised by the Government.

Health – same-sex relationships give rise to no rights of visitation or care for partners.

Inheritance and tax – same-sex people in partnerships are treated as single.

Housing – same-sex dependents or partners are unrecognised for housing purposes.  Landlords can eject or refuse tenants on grounds of orientation or gender.

Public services – any provider can refuse these on grounds of sexual-orientation.

Bullying – there is no protection in schools or colleges against bullying on the grounds of orientation or gender.

Incitement and defamation – there is no protection against abuse.

 Social stigma – prejudice remains acceptable.

CONCLUSION

We believe that a multi-route approach will take time but will eventually succeed.  But the community needs help to overcome Government inertia in the face of organised opposition.  By linking hands with the people in many sectors of the community, we believe we can improve the lot of Hong Kong’s LGBT people.

What can you do:

• Fight homo and transphobic bullying.
• Call for equality in civil rights.
• If you’re LGBT, choose the moment, come out of the closet, join our fight!

Nigel Collett

Joint English Secretary

Pink Alliance/TCJM

2 April 2012

“Pretending to be somebody else at work is like acting in a movie for several hours a day without any rewards or appreciation (that’s why acting is a separate profession, right?). Now, if one is acting 100% of the time at work that clearly implies they are not giving their 100% to the company that hired them to do the job. Surely, that is cheating?

Today, a person can be fired in HK (and most of Asia) for being gay. If his/her company doesn’t have an anti-discriminatory policy covering gay staff, he/she will be left with nothing. Nothing. He/she cannot go to the court since there is no law that protects him/her against discrimination at the workplace for loving a person (who happens to be from the same sex).

Being gay doesn’t mean displaying rainbow flags or wearing pink feathers to office. It is about being able to display the photo of your partner on the desk, if your colleagues are displaying photos of their families. It means not having to lie to your boss when you want to take time off to attend your partner’s mom’s funeral.”

The influential Anglicans said the prospect of same-sex marriage should be a “cause for rejoicing” and argued the perception that the majority of the Christian Church opposed legalising it was wrong.

In a letter to the Times, the signatories said: “Recent statements by church leaders past and present may have given the impression that the Church is universally opposed to the extension of civil marriage to same-sex couples. We believe that does not adequately reflect the range of opinion which exists within the Church of England.”

The signatories – including members of the General Synod, the governing body, and high-ranking clergy – describe marriage as a “robust institution which has adapted much over the centuries” and say it has “moved beyond the polygamy of the Old Testament and preoccupation with social status and property in pre-Enlightened times”.

Arguing that “God’s grace” is at work in same-sex partnerships, the letter adds: “The Church calls marriage holy or sacramental because the covenant relationship of committed, faithful love between the couple reflects the covenanted love and commitment between God and his church.

“Growing in this kind of love means we are growing in the image of God. That there are same-sex couples who want to embrace marriage should be a cause for rejoicing in the Christian Church.”

The joint statement is said to have been organised by Dr Jeffrey John, the openly gay Dean of St Albans. “We believe that the church of England has nothing to fear from the introduction of civil marriage for same-sex couples,” the letter adds. “It will be for the churches to then decide how they respond pastorally to such a change in the law.”

Plans to legalise gay civil marriage by 2015 have been put out for consultation by the government. Under the proposals same-sex couples will be entitled to get married in a register office or other civil ceremonies, or convert existing civil partnerships. Existing marriages in which one partner changed their sex would also no longer have to be ended.

The blueprint, however, maintains a legal ban on same-sex religious services despite some churches expressing an interest in conducting them.

Leaders of the Roman Catholic Church have remained resolutely opposed to gay marriage and blessing civil partnerships but the issue has split the Anglican Communion.

Source: http://news.uk.msn.com/uk/clergy-group-backs-gay-marriage#scptid

Guardian.co.uk

Jeremy Marks
guardian.co.uk, Friday 20 April 2012 23.00 BST

Jeremy Marks: ‘I began to think that perhaps we’d got it really wrong.’ Photograph: Lydia Goldblatt for the Guardian

In the 1980s, I started a group called Courage, to “cure” homosexuality. Although today the “ex-gay” ministry seems offensive, back then it was cutting edge, in that we were reaching out to the gay community. The rest of the church just said, “You’re wasting your time, they’re going to go to hell.” We didn’t have a “deliverance” approach, but there were some ministries that regarded homosexuals as being possessed by a demonic spirit that could be cast out. We adopted the psychoanalytic idea of an unfortunate family background: distant father, overbearing mother – and this was just a boy looking for a father’s love. The idea was that if placed in an affirming male environment, you’d grow out of your desires.

I’d known I was gay from about the age of 13. I got on well with girls, but I didn’t feel the sexual chemistry I felt when I watched Richard Chamberlain in Dr Kildare. In those days you could never talk about it. It was a lonely, frightening world.

Then, in 1973, I started going to a Baptist church. It was different from the Anglican one I’d been brought up in. It taught the Bible as being literally true. When I confided in the pastors, they said that resisting homosexual urges was the same as resisting the temptation to steal or lie.

Even though the law changed in 1957 with the Wolfenden Report, the rest of society lagged behind. There was still a sense that what I felt was criminal. But back then, nobody had sex before marriage. That I couldn’t have a relationship didn’t seem too bad when all the people around me weren’t either. It got more difficult later on, when one by one they got married and I was still on my own.

Then, in 1986, I came across a group called the True Freedom Trustand went to one of their meetings, for lesbian and gay Christians who wanted to “overcome” their sexuality. This was the first time I’d met any gay Christians, and it was a huge relief. One evening there was a young man visiting from San Francisco who told how this “ex-gay” ministry called Love In Action had saved him from being a male prostitute. He talked about how God could change your life and how part of that positive change was you wouldn’t be gay any more. I went to train with them, and returned to England to set up Courage. We ran a residential programme called Steps Out Of Homosexuality. People came from all over Europe. I did feel attractions, but we believed wholesome friendship was the answer, so I turned my battles into a great cause.

In 1991 I married an amazing woman, the first to lead a (free) church in the UK. We were both in our early 40s, had been good friends for many years, and did not want to be on our own for the rest of our lives. My wife is not a lesbian, but we thought we could at least live a life of companionship and mutual support.

A few years later, we had to close our live-in discipleship houses, but I kept in touch with people afterwards and was dismayed to see what happened. Once people were on their own again, their world collapsed. Family and friends would say, “So, when are we going to hear wedding bells?” It never occurred to them that maybe you are gay because that’s just the way you are. I began to see more people losing hope, getting severely depressed. One made a serious suicide attempt.

By the end of the 1990s, the only ones doing well were those who’d accepted they were gay and found a partner. It was as if a great burden had been shifted, that they thought, “Now at last I know who I am. I know I’m in love with somebody and they love me.” I thought, this is the kind of result we hoped they’d achieve living an upright Christian life, but they’re finding that contentment just being themselves. I began to think that perhaps we’d got it really wrong.

I still run Courage, but now it’s with a belief that you can be gay and Christian. We offer a chance to meet other gay Christians and support committed same-sex relationships. It’s been difficult for my wife, because she’s naturally very concerned that I might therefore decide, “That’s it, I want to go and find a man.” But we’re coming up to retirement age and I wouldn’t feel happy just to leave her – feeling abandoned after all we’ve been through together. Ours may not be the traditional heterosexual romance, but the care for one another’s wellbeing is just as real. I try not to look back, but I know I’ve missed out in a big way – and so has she. She should have been with some heterosexual guy who adored her, as she should be adored.

Hong Kong singer comes out during concert

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a54UBWFXsF4

http://www.c4em.org.uk/

Just Published!
The LGBT Casebook

Edited by Petros Levounis, M.D., M.A., Jack Drescher, M.D., and Mary Barber, M.D.

2012 * 324 pages * ISBN 978-1-58562-421-8 * Paperback * $62.00 * Item #62421

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals seeking care for psychiatric problems often carry added anxiety related to their sexual orientation. The LGBT Casebook provides a general overview and roadmap for clinicians new to treating LGBT people, and it deepens and updates knowledge for those already seeing these individuals in their practices.

The LGBT Casebook is a collection of case studies of patients with a DSM diagnosis (Axis I, Axis II, V-codes, or some combination of these), followed by the case author’s insights into how he or she helped a particular patient work through them. By leading the reader through mental health issues within the context of LGBT lives, The LGBT Casebook helps mental health professionals better address the unique needs of the LGBT community during both assessment and treatment.

The LGBT Casebook begins with five chapters devoted to basic concerns that affect LGBT populations, including coming out, heterosexist attitudes, the “don’t ask, don’t tell” mentality, legal issues, gay parenting, and sexual identity in patient-therapist relationships. In the rest of the book, clinician-authors present case studies of 20 patients with different DSM diagnoses, illuminating the impact of LGBT identity
and illustrating a way of working with each presented patient.

Features and benefits of The LGBT Casebook include:

By introducing a diverse range of people, diagnoses, and presenting problems,
The LGBT Casebook will serve as a valuable reference book for all mental health professionals when assessing and treating the mental health concerns of lesbian,
gay, bisexual, and transgender patients.

2012 * 324 pages * ISBN 978-1-58562-421-8 * Paperback * $62.00 * Item #62421