Hong Kong
CNN
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The First Gay Games in Asia faced a political backlash in host city Hong Kong after a group of conservative lawmakers called on authorities to cancel the event – and even suggested it could breach a sweeping national security law.
The event of four decades – which brings both gay and straight athletes from around the world to compete in a festival of sports, art and culture – started on Friday with Hong Kong and Mexico City Guadalajara as joint host.
However, there has been strong opposition from some to the Chinese financial hub’s new “patriots only” political system introduced by Beijing after massive and often violent pro-democracy protests in 2019.
Eight city lawmakers on Wednesday supported a request by conservative groups calling for the games to be scrapped, accusing the event of championing LGBTQ rights and spreading “Western ideology.”
Junius Ho, a flamboyant lawmaker known for both his staunch pro-Beijing nationalism and his opposition to gay rights, said the petition “goes against every Western ideology that sugarcoats its agenda in the name of diversity and inclusion at a sporting event”.
He also suggested the event could violate provisions of the new national security law that prohibits foreign powers from interfering in Hong Kong’s governance.
“In short, the national security act is the legal basis,” he said.
Another pro-Beijing lawmaker, Peter Shiu, said the game went beyond an ordinary sporting event.
“This is obviously just defense. I have no idea how he managed to get to Hong Kong,” he said.
Gay Games organizers have fought back against opposition from Hong Kong lawmakers and have vowed the event will be a proud, non-political, celebration of inclusion.
“All our books have been audited by professional accountants, open and transparent,” Lisa Lam, co-chairman of the Gay Games, said at the launch in Hong Kong on Thursday, adding that they had “obeyed local laws from day one”.
They also dismissed concerns that the allegations might deter participants from attending.
“Everyone has their own opinion on things, but we’re just about the sport and the culture,” said Alan Lang, the event’s sports director.
CNN asked the Hong Kong government what support it had offered for the games and what its views were on those lawmakers who said the event could violate national security rules.
A spokesperson did not answer the first part and answered the second: “Any activity that takes place in Hong Kong must not violate the laws of Hong Kong. Law enforcement agencies will take action if there is any violation of laws, whether it is related to general offenses, crimes or acts that endanger national security.”
Tyrone Siu/Reuters
Participants pose for photos at a press conference ahead of the Gay Games in Hong Kong, China, November 2, 2023.
The rhetoric from pro-Beijing lawmakers comes at a time when space for China’s LGBTQ community is increasingly squeezed under Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Hong Kong does not allow same-sex marriage and there is no law prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation. But as an international and economic gateway to China, Hong Kong has long had a significant and vibrant LGBTQ community.
Multiple government restrictions on same-sex equality – including a ban on same-sex marriage – have been successfully challenged in court, most recently in September when the city’s highest court ordered authorities to come up with some kind of alternative partnership for same-sex couples.
But the city has also been transformed in the wake of the 2019 protests, with Beijing cracking down on pro-democracy activists using a new national security law which has criminalized many disputes.
Although the law has not been used to specifically target the LGBTQ community, many of Hong Kong’s prominent democracy activists have been staunch advocates of greater equality and have been prosecuted under the sweeping legislation or have fled abroad.
National security offenses carry life sentences and authorities have expanded powers under the law to seize assets as well as a much higher bail limit for those arrested.
Beijing also imposed a new political system in Hong Kong under which anyone running for elected office or prominent government positions had to be screened for patriotism toward China and whether they posed a risk to national security.
Hong Kong was originally chosen in 2017 as the sole venue for what was supposed to be held in 2022. But it had to be postponed for a year due to the city strict controls for the coronavirus at the timewhich have been in place for much longer than most places around the world.
Guadalajara was then added as co-host, a first for Latin America, but this also caused some controversy, with participants expressing security concerns about a location where drug cartel violence is endemic.
According to Reuters, no previous Gay Games had fewer than 8,000 participants. But a week before the event, only 2,458 participants had registered for Guadalajara and Hong Kong had just 2,381.
“In my heart I wish the whole thing would be scrapped and we could go to Valencia in 2026,” Wayne Morgan, a senior Australian athlete who has already competed in six Games, told Reuters, referring to the Spanish host of the next Games.
Taiwanese athletes have specifically cited Hong Kong’s national security laws as the reason they don’t feel safe going to the city, fearing arrest if they waved a Taiwanese flameG.
Taiwan’s Gay Sports and Movement Association said their athletes will take part in the Mexican leg. Taiwan has a thriving LGBTQ community and in 2019 became the first place in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage.
China’s Communist Party claims democratic self-ruled Taiwan as its territory, even though it has never ruled it and has vowed to one day “reunify” it, by force if necessary. Relations between Taiwan and China are at their lowest level in decades.
‘Come with us’
Gay Games organizers tried to downplay those concerns, saying participants still come from all over the world.
“Like the 2,381 athletes (coming to Hong Kong), there are people who chose to come and come from different nationalities, different regions and different countries as well,” said Lang, the sports director.
Funding for the Gay Games comes primarily from international banks, insurance companies and law firms that have long called for greater participation in the city for their LGBTQ staff. And the events are largely held in private facilities, not in Hong Kong’s public sports venues.
The government was represented by a single official, Regina Ip, at the opening ceremony.
A top adviser to Hong Kong leader John Lee and also a lawmaker, Yip has been one of the few Hong Kong politicians to vocally support the struggles.
The event, Ip said, “highlights Hong Kong as an open, inclusive and pluralistic society.”
“The government should have given more positive publicity about the importance of non-discrimination,” he told CNN.
Meanwhile, Chan Kwan-on, one of the Gay Games ambassadors in Hong Kong, urged critics not to jump to conclusions and see for themselves.
“Come with us and feel a sensation. We’re not that bad,” he said. “Love and peace.”