History 歷史
Here is a chronology of LGBT history in Hong Kong.
PHASE ONE – THE STRUGGLE TO DECRIMINALISE
1865 Hong Kong adopted British 1861 Offences against the Person Act.
1901 Hong Kong codified legislation in Offences against the Person Ordinance with buggery attracting a life sentence.
1967 United Kingdom decriminalises.
1976 start of wave of prosecutions for same sex offences of British civil servants in Hong Kong – Assistant Financial Secretary Brian Jenny prosecuted.
1978 Gordon Huthart opens Disco Disco.
1979 Formation of RHKP Special Investigation Unit (SIU) to target homosexuals. Prosecution of Gordon Huthart for buggery.
1980 Death of Inspector John MacLennan accused of homosexual offences, followed by a public inquiry. First gay column in Hong Kong media – by Samshasha in City Magazine.
1981-84 Law Reform Commission Report recommends decriminalisation.
1983 Anti-decriminalisation Joint Committee on Homosexual Law formed with 267 mostly Christian, business and teacher group members.
C1985 Disco Disco closes. Yin Yang Club opens.
1986 Alan Li, Keith Wong, etc. co-found Hong Kong 10% Club.
1988 Hong Kong Government consultation paper issued; the Crime Amendment Bill drafted to decriminalise. Hong Kong Homosexual Political Manifesto.
1989 Rev Fung Chi-wood forms Association for the Welfare of Gays and Lesbians. 1st Hong Kong Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.
July 1990 Legco votes to decriminalise. Foundation of AIDS Concern.
July 1991 Decriminalisation. Crime Amendment Bill fixes age of consent at 21 (heterosexual age: 16). Founding of HK AIDS Foundation.
1991 Opening of Propaganda on Wyndham Street
PHASE TWO – THE FIGHT AGAINST DISCRIMINATION AND THE GROWTH OF LGBT ACTIVISM
1992 HORIZONS founded. Faith group forms in Ten Percent Club. Contacts Magazine founded by Barry Brandon
1993 Legislative Councillor Anna Wu introduces an initial draft of a comprehensive Equal Opportunities Bill to outlaw discrimination on a variety of grounds, including “sexuality”. The bill was subsequently broken down into several parts. Satsanga formed. 1st issue of Contacts Magazine.
1994 Buddhist LGBT group Isvara formed.
1995 The Sex Discrimination Ordinance and the Disability Discrimination Ordinance enacted. The Hong Kong Government undertakes to conduct studies on discrimination based on age, sexual orientation, and family status. BMCF registers.
1996 The Equal Opportunities Commission established. Lui Tung Yuen (LTY), or Home for Girls, founded. Government rejects sexual orientation discrimination legislation after a survey. Queer Sisters formed.
1997 Family Status Discrimination Ordinance enacted. Hong Kong’s 1st Tongzhi Conference; Tongzhi Forum. Over the Rainbow formed. Propaganda opens in Hollywood Rd.
1998 Hong Kong’s 2nd Tongzhi Conference. Contacts Magazine closed. Works opens in Propaganda’s old location
1999 Founding of Rainbow Hong Kong and CR4SD, 3rd Tongzhi Conference. Founding of 1st Tongzhi Community Joint Meeting (TCJM).
2000 Tongzhi Platform before the LegCo Election Campaign. 1st Rainbow Centre opened. Gaystation opened.
2001 First Couple from Hong Kong joined in civil union in Vermont (Roddy Shaw and Nelson Ng). 1st Rainbow Centre closes. Activists storm Red Cross event protesting about bans on gay blood donors. Noel Chen (Tommy Jai) ties himself to Arsenal Street Police HQ railings to protest raid on Fetish Fashion.
2002 foundation of Dim Sum magazine and HKqUeer Campus. Founding of Dancing Angels
2003 Women Coalition of the HKSAR founded. Kenneth Cheung stands as Hong Kong’s first openly gay candidate for a District Council. Activists disrupt Roman Catholic mass to protest about the church’s views on same-sex marriage.
2004 Tongzhi LegCo Election Campaign. Home Affairs Bureau founds Sexual Minorities Forum. Member2.com started. Gayradio.hk opens. Founding of Fruits in Suits, gay men’s networking group, by Eric Herrera, and others.
PHASE THREE – EXPANSION, CULTURE WARS AND THE DVO
2005 1st Hong Kong IDAHO. Nutong Xueshe (NTXS) formed. Home Affairs Bureau survey of public opinion on homosexuality. The Education and Manpower Bureau (EMB) awarded a contract to educate teachers on human rights and anti-discrimination to the fundamentalist Christian group, the Society for Truth and Light. Roddy Shaw leads successful campaign against this. Fundamentalists commence lobbying Government and publishing advertisements in newspapers and on billboards. LGBT community published A Visible Truth (in Chinese), a survey of cases of discrimination in Hong Kong. HORIZONS’s proto-pride march in Lan Kwai Fong. Founding of Les Peches, lesbian networking group, by Betty Grisoni and Abby Lee.
2006 2nd Hong Kong IDAHO. Demise of the first TCJM. RTHK’s We Are Family commences. Broadcasting Authority’s censure of RTHK for its programme Hong Kong Connection – Gay Lovers. Billy Leung wins judicial review overturning unequal age of consent for gay men. Hong Kong Government prevents British Consulate conducting civil partnership ceremonies. 1st Floatilla.
2007 3rd Hong Kong IDAHO. Founding of Hong Kong’s 2nd Rainbow Centre. LGBT groups conduct domestic violence survey.
2008 4th Hong Kong IDAHO. Race Discrimination Ordinance enacted. Founding of second TCJM and Tongzhi Literary Group (TLG). Man Hong Kong International Literary Festival holds two gay writing sessions. 1st Pride Parade. GDotTV opens. Judicial review overturns Broadcasting Authority’s censure of RTHK for its programme Hong Kong Connection – Gay Lovers. Hiketilla commences. Chinese University initiates LGBT domestic violence survey. Works closes.
2009 5th Hong Kong IDAHO, 2nd Pride parade. NTXS opens Causeway Bay studio. Civic Movement Network march for civil rights against fundamentalist Christians. 1st Mr Gay Hong Kong competition. Legco member Wong Shing-chi uses Legco mechanisms to attack LGBT organisations. TCJM business diversity survey. Domestic and Cohabitation Relationships Violence Ordinance enacted. HKqUeer Campus becomes Queer Straight Alliance.
2010 6th IDAHO. Community Business, IBM and Goldman Sachs business diversity survey and guide. Opening of Psychic Jack in Works’s location
