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!