‘Upset with Lam’s lukewarm response’: 10,000 attend Pride Parade amid calls for Hong Kong laws to protect LGBT rights
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Rainbow flags and blue balloons were part of the flamboyant displays on Hong Kong streets on Saturday as advocates and members of the LGBT community joined hands in the ninth annual Pride Parade, attended by 10,000 people, according to organisers.
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Chan said the public consultation on transgender recognition was a step in the right direction, but added that the government was “acting a bit slow”, and that it would be difficult to achieve equal rights for the LGBT community without official support.
The consultation, which will close on December 31, centres on the legal status of transgender and intersex people as no legislation in Hong Kong currently provides for amendments to one’s gender status in legal documents.
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“We see more and more people in this generation supporting equal rights, including marriage equality,” the 24-year-old said on stage in a speech. “We need legislators to press for LGBT rights.”
Jimmy Sham Tsz-kit, a spokesman for the parade’s organisers, said he was disappointed that Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Patrick Nip Tak-kuen did not accept their invitation to attend the event.
“We hope the new government will stop procrastinating and push for an anti-discrimination ordinance for sexual minorities,” Sham said. “We are upset to see Carrie Lam’s lukewarm response to pleas to protect the rights of sexual minorities.”
The organisers said blue was chosen as the theme colour to represent the sky and ocean, which for them symbolised freedom and equality.
Currently, Hong Kong does not recognise same-sex marriages and does not have any legislation against discrimination based on sexual orientation.