An LGBTQ group in Hong Kong has called off a bazaar to celebrate Pride Month, after the government notified the organisers that they had no licence to hold the event.
Gay Harmony announced on Tuesday that its Pride Month Bazaar, originally scheduled for Saturday, would be cancelled. It came after the group was informed by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) that they did not have a Temporary Places of Public Entertainment Licence, which is required for activities such as a bazaar, a sporting contest or an exhibition.
The event was set to be held in iSQUARE, a shopping mall in Tsim Sha Tsui which was also the venue for the Pride Month Bazaar in 2022.
According to the group, they had not applied for a licence for similar events held in previous years. They said they had planned to apply for the licence after they were informed by FEHD. But the government department contacted the venue operator directly and told them not to lease the venue to the LGBTQ group.
“The event will be cancelled. And we cannot tell if we are looking for new venues or rearranging the event,” Gay Harmony wrote on Instagram.
Gay Harmony said on Instagram last week that the bazaar would feature around 40 booths, including vendors selling new and vintage luxury goods, undergarments and socks. The event would also include an exhibition showcasing milestones in the protection of LGBTQ partnership rights in different countries and regions, the group said.
In response to HKFP’s enquiries, the FEHD told HKFP on Thursday night that it had noticed the LGBTQ group planned to organise a bazaar, but the department had not received any application for the relevant license.
The department then enquired with the organisers about the event nature and reminded them of the legal regulations, FEHD said. It added FEHD personnel would gather evidence and take enforcement action if the department received complaints or discovered unlicensed public entertainment venues during inspections.
“The department does not possess specific information regarding events held in the past and will not make comments,” a Chinese email reply from FEHD read.
Under the Places of Public Entertainment Ordinance, it is an offence to use any place as a place of public entertainment without a licence. Those convicted may face a fine of HK$25,000 and six months behind bars.
Whilst same-sex sexual activity was legalised in 1991, Hong Kong has no laws to protect the LGBTQ community from discrimination in employment, the provision of goods and services, or from hate speech. Equal marriage remains illegal, although a 2023 survey showed that 60 per cent of Hongkongers support it. Despite repeated government appeals, courts have granted those who married – or who entered civil partnerships – abroad some recognition in terms of tax, spousal visas and public housing.
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