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Opinion | Gay Games: amid lukewarm official support and vehement opposition, cool heads must prevail
- Most Hongkongers accept that some people are homosexual or bisexual, it’s not against the law, and showcasing our city’s inclusivity seems harmless enough
- So, why the mixed reception to the Gay Games when Chinese homosexuality goes back centuries?
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Homosexuality has been documented in China for many hundreds of years. Several early Chinese emperors are thought to have had homosexual relationships in addition to heterosexual ones. Emperor Ai of the Han dynasty, for example, is reported to have had a long-running affair with one of his male concubines.
Bian Er Chai, a collection of short stories published in the late Ming dynasty covering similar ground, is famous in Chinese literature. But all emperors had to take female partners to ensure an heir. Homosexuality for both men and women is legal in Hong Kong and on the mainland and, in the latter case, was so for most of the last century, except for a brief period between 1979 and 1997.
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Therefore the suggestion, which is sometimes advanced, that homosexuality is somehow un-Chinese and a recent import from the decadent West, is simply absurd and does not correspond to historical fact.
All of which is by way of introduction to the subject of the Gay Games, which are due to be held concurrently in Hong Kong and Guadalajara in Mexico in early November. The first such games were held in San Francisco in 1982; this will be the first time they are held in Asia.
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Some may think we already have enough sporting contests – the Olympics, Asian Games, All-China Games etc – but the objective of the Gay Games is to garner acceptance for the LGBTQ community.
In other words, there is a sociopolitical purpose, not just a sporting one. Organisers of the local version want to showcase our city as a caring, inclusive and vibrant international city. That all seems harmless enough, but the response has been somewhat mixed.
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