In Taiwan, the fight is far from over. My research shows that LGBT people continue to face discrimination in the workplace and among friends and family. Same-sex marriage legalisation was an important step to expanding the rights of LGBT minorities, but it also invoked fierce resistance from church groups backed by foreign and even Hong Kong conservatives. Their popularised depiction of LGBT rights as an attack on the rights of everyone else has tempered prejudice into a stronger blade. The risk of being ostracised looms large and LGBT minorities are pushed further into the closet. This is reflected in greater strains on mental health, which explains why disorders like depression, anxiety and suicide ideation remain disproportionately high among LGBT minorities.

We in Hong Kong and Taiwan must continue to invest resources in mental health, social support and counselling services for LGBT minorities. Politically, LGBT minorities must also strengthen their efforts.

LGBT mobilisation in Taiwan succeeded by having LGBT rights built into a civic nationalism that has been continually promoted by electoral reform in 2008, by the Sunflower Movement in 2014 and by the Democratic Progressive Party’s electoral victory in 2016.

In Hong Kong, conditions are far less favourable. Conservative religious groups are well resourced and connected into a coalition that actively lobbies the government to suppress LGBT rights. Meanwhile, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has unabashedly stated her personal disagreement with being gay, citing her Catholic faith, as if personal religious beliefs are legitimate grounds for policymaking.

Thus, Hong Kong cannot do as Taiwan did, and LGBT minorities must create their own movement. This movement should network with businesses, politicians, other activist groups and existing community centres to exchange resources and develop measures to protect LGBT rights. Its agenda must be actively distanced from, and actively protest, the obvious conflicts of interest in government policies, whilst drawing closer to Chinese cultural values from before the West came that actually accepted being gay.

Beyond creating spaces for engagement between LGBT minorities and the wider public, the community must also create a “gay excellence” movement, highlighting the brilliance of LGBT people locally and in Asia in general. We must show that being gay is not just a sexual orientation, but an identity rich with nuance, history and the potential to contribute to the greater good.

The road ahead is full of challenges. But rights are not a zero-sum game, as anti-LGBT conservatives would have us believe. Acceptance is not just for the selfish comfort of a minority, but sets a precedent for protecting the rights of citizens as a collective.

Only when egalitarianism is achieved can people fully contribute their talent, our society prosper and civilisation advance.

Anson Au is a visiting professor in the School of Humanities, Social Science and Law at Harbin Institute of Technology and a PhD student in sociology at the University of Toronto