Gay groups press for festival funds
Organisers want $1 million to promote a giant street parade and month-long carnival next year
Gay and lesbian organisations are seeking government funding to push forward a plan to create Hong Kong's first month-long celebration of gay pride.
Three groups have joined forces to draft a proposal to seek $1 million in funding to kick-start the event, which is tentatively scheduled for October next year.
The plans call for a 'Pride Hong Kong' celebration every two years, a month of activities that would include a street parade, outdoor party and educational forums. The goal is to bring together the gay and lesbian community in Hong Kong and attract international visitors.
'The gay community in Hong Kong offers a lot of potential,' said Reggie Ho Lai-kit, a freelance journalist who spearheaded the effort. 'We feel there isn't a force to join them together. We think by having a big-scale gay event we'll be able to gather strength in the gay community.'
Bangkok and Taipei are the only two Asian cities which have annual events similar to that proposed in Hong Kong. They attracted many people from Hong Kong each year and helped boost tourism, Mr Ho said.
Mr Ho is hoping to duplicate those successes in Hong Kong, where the tourism industry has been battered by the Sars outbreak.
'I think this is perfect timing because everybody is talking about economic recovery,' he said. 'A gay festival would be a very good way to boost the economy.'
But Howard Young, the legislator who represents the travel industry, questioned whether the event would be a major attraction. 'Any sort of parade will definitely have some following. As for the gay parade, I am unable to assess how big the following would be,' he said.
Bonnie Ngan Suet-fong, spokeswoman for the Hong Kong Tourism Board, said: 'Our position is neutral and we will promote to anybody interested in coming to Hong Kong. We won't target any group in particular.'
The three groups involved in organising the parade are Horizons, which provides counselling for people on sexual orientation; the women's group F Union; and Rainbow of Hong Kong. They will be applying for funds from the government's Community Investment and Inclusion Fund, a $300 million fund that gives seed money to new community projects.
The organisers are considering a street parade using trams filled with dancers and sound systems travelling from Kennedy Town to Happy Valley and ending at Victoria Park. From there, an outdoor fair with booths and stage performances would be held at the park. Throughout the month, there would be educational workshops and forums on gay and lesbian-related issues.
They also plan to create a 'pink pages' - a Yellow Pages-style guide listing gay-owned and gay-friendly businesses. Those featured in the book would receive a sticker to be placed on the doors of their shops.
