Moments with Language

Just to recap some special moments in the Hong Kong Pride, when I felt language was working.

• At the beginning the hosts asked the participants to raise the rainbow flag, and she used the word 扯旗, obviously it is a word play. She was playing with the double meaning of that word, as I saw everyone was okay with that. Then I gave a second thought I suddenly realize it is very difficult to have any word play with lesbian sexuality, and the host was asking women to扯旗 as well… well, is it possible?
• In the pride there were volunteers helping to hold some loud speakers to play music. For Chinese there were Denise Ho’s song (金剛經 and 光明會, both can be read as encouraging gay movement somehow), for English there are some typical choices as well, such as Madonna’s Hung Up, Lady GaGa’s Poker face, and of course I’ll survive.
• Other than that it was quite quiet, not much party was going on, people even did not dance, they rarely shouted… Suddenly there was a woman in the crowd said, “Hey, are you guys just come here to walk? It is so boring!” We laughed and she started asking the crowed, “Hey! Tongzhi, are you proud?” No one answered her… she was disappointed, but I can understand, it is still difficult to say you are proud of being Tongzhi, and besides, people around are not used to parade and openly support LGBT community.
• At the same time a group of English speaking lesbian, they shouted, “We are gays and lesbians, we are out and proud!” My friends and me later on joined them and shouted. I felt it is really different to speak in English, simply one feel easier to say something in her or his second language. And with slogan it is easy to make one believe in something, suddenly it reminds me those propaganda, it is the power of words. Suddenly I really felt “out and proud”.
• The woman who said it was boring joined as well. She changed the slogan, saying “We are bisexuals, we are out and proud!” or “We are transsexuals, we are out and proud.” The group smiled but looked at her in an odd way. The woman asked, “Why not? It is alright to be bisexuals and transsexual!” I did not feel like saying that as well actually, I still do not know if it is related to my stand (even I think being bisexuals and transsexual is totally okay), or simply because I am not bisexuals or transsexuals.

News coverage for Pride Parade Hong Kong

內地同志佩服港人勇敢遊行1800人撐攣直共融
(Please visit the link to see the news with photos and video!)

Appledaily had the longest report on the parade, and also it is the best one. The reporter used words like "攣", "直", "自然地擁抱、親吻", he even explained the definition of LGBT! Besides, in the news there are 1800 participants in the parade, it is the same with the number released by the organizing committee.

Work cited
雷子樂，〈內地同志佩服港人勇敢遊行1800人撐攣直共融〉，《蘋果日報》，二零零九年十一月二日。

Pride in Hong Kong (2)

Theme song this year is We are Family of Sister Sledge. Indeed it is a rather old song, I guess the reason they use it is because the radio programme 自己人 in RTHK uses the same song. Audience would be more familiar with this song. Anyway, I love the lyrics of the song. Here comes the video and the lyrics.

We are family
I got all my sisters with me
We are family
Get up ev'rybody and sing

Ev'ryone can see we're together
As we walk on by
(FLY!) and we fly just like birds of a feather
I won't tell no lie
(ALL!) all of the people around us they say
Can they be that close
Just let me state for the record
We're giving love in a family dose

(CHORUS x2)

Living life is fun and we've just begun
To get our share of the world's delights
(HIGH!) high hopes we have for the future
And our goal's in sight
(WE!) no we don't get depressed
Here's what we call our golden rule
Have faith in you and the things you do
You won't go wrong
This is our family Jewel

This choice is great cause the song is passionate and positive. The words used in lyrics are glamorous like drag queens ("fly just like birds of a feather", wow, feather!), with sisterhood like in lesbians (or gay sometimes)... and after all we are family. It sounds much warmer than being queers. And I guess it is one of the meanings of Pride Parade, to feel that one is not alone.

Pride in Hong Kong (1)

It is what they called Rainbow Shower!

There's no point to talk about pride parade without going there, but I am so proud to say finally I have been to Pride Parade in Hong Kong and finished the whole parade and after-party! The atmosphere was not that cheerful indeed but still it was nice. After show party was great! They invited some celebrities to perform, good to see some straight celebrities supporting Pride Parade. Before reflection... let's see take a look of some pictures!

Great to see LGBT work union, but I guess it's still a long way to go for some other professions - hope I will see groups like LGBT firefighter, LGBT police, LGBT teacher one day!

I got a free hug here!

Playing Language

Let's have fun.

I took these pictures in Amsterdam, I simply love these cards - they make fun with classical pictures. The lines are smart and subversive! Click to enlarge and read!

Reading Hong Kong Pride

Finally I start looking seriously into the language used in Hong Kong Pride official homepage. Before comparing it to London Pride, I would like to look into the Chinese and the English version of the Hong Kong one first.

Indeed I strongly believe that they are written by different people and probably targeting readers from different background as well. Only by reading the theme, it is not difficult to spot that Chinese version is more serious, with phrases like “呼籲”, “一年一次的約定” and “赴約”. Chinese one turns Pride Day into a mission while the English one says it’s a party – less formal but more fun. For example they translated “赴約” into joining the engagement, also, they used phrases like “full gear” and “celebrate”. Seems the English version is closer to the gay culture in Western, which celebrates sexuality, and turns gay parade into a party.

Of course I cannot say everything is based on cultural difference (it is just too lazy to think so). The reason behind these differences, I would say, is the history of gay right movement in Hong Kong. Not a long time ago, Hong Kong Pride Parade is still IDAHO - International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia. Now IDAHO still exists, but obviously Pride is becoming more important. However, it still takes time for locals to learn celebrating, while people from other countries would be more familiar with this practice.

However, maybe it is not necessary to party for party sake – why we have to follow the West?

Where is the Pride?

Suddenly I notice something interesting. When the name “Pride Parade” is invented by the West, Chinese never really translated the whole term. Taiwan Pride is translated into 台灣同志遊行, when Hong Kong Pride is called 香港同志遊行.

Yes, of course one can say it is because most people are still tolerant of LGBT society but not really accept and embrace them, therefore it is better not to shock people. However maybe it is only one of the reasons.

Literally, pride can be translated into自豪, 驕傲 or 自尊, in English it is very positive but in Chinese, when one ought to be humble, to say being proud of oneself would be arrogant. It is nearly impossible to translate the whole meaning, so maybe it is better to avoid it. The tactics of Hong Kong and Taiwan are quite alike – using slogan instead.

Besides, sometimes “Pride” does not only shock for straight people, I would say LGBT community needs more time to learn to be proud of themselves as well. When Hong Kong Pride still tries educating the community to “be yourself”, maybe it is still a bit far from pride.

And of course, like parade and 遊行 are already different from each other. Parade is fun and 遊行 is political. Pride parade is imported. The problem the community facing is that we take the parade from the West but we do not have such heritage, no stonewall, no Harvard Milk, the whole idea of Pride Parade is transplanted from the West (or societies using English as first language) to the East.

I am wondering, if it is possible to invent something for LGBT community in Hong Kong?

Queer Day Oslo - Norwegian also missed out the Pride (but once my Norwegian friend told me in tradition, they also emphasize being humble).