Migrant worker groups held a pride event at Central on Sunday to raise awareness of sexual harassment, oppression and discrimination faced by the LGBT migrant population.
This year’s Migrants’ Pride – currently its third – was themed “Pride with integrity, pride of humanity.” Organisers said that they also sought to improve the wages and working conditions of domestic workers and voice their opposition towards homophobic attitudes in society.
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Participants danced and chanted slogans such as “Hey hey! Ho ho! Homophobia got to go!” and “Long live international solidarity!”
Migrants’ Pride came a day after the annual pride parade drew 10,000 out onto the streets of Hong Kong, demanding equality for the LGBTQ+ community.
This year, Hong Kong’s courts ruled in favour of QT, a British lesbian who fought for a spousal visa to remain in Hong Kong with her partner, as well as a civil servant couple who married in New Zealand and had been previously stripped of spousal benefits.
Hong Kong is also due to host the 2022 Gay Games after beating the US and Mexico in their bid to host the games last month. However, the government and Chief Executive Carrie Lam have given the games a lukewarm welcome.
Eman Villanueva, spokesperson for the Asian Migrants’ Coordinating Body, told HKFP: “Migrants’ Pride intends to highlight the commonality of issues affecting the LGBT community both local and migrants. It is important to support each other’s issues as well.”
“But Migrants Pride also aims to promote the particularity of the issues affecting the migrant LGBT and hopefully gain public support through awareness.”
League of Social Democrats activist Leung Kwok-hung said at the event that without the contributions of migrant workers, Hong Kong would not be the prosperous city it is today. He also said he was grateful that they came out to make their voices heard and that they were twice as brave as those who attended the pride parade on Saturday.
