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).

Icons

Loads of icon on pin buttons - but Oscar Wilde was sold out (taken in Stockholm)

Honestly I have never participated in gay pride in Hong Kong, not only because I was not here last year, I also felt not confident enough to go there. However, I watched some videos on youtube. They did some typical “gay pride” performance last year indeed, but I am even more looking forward to the pride day this year. As finally they co-operate with RTHK. I guess it is much better to have RTHK helping in organizing, and this year they even invited some celebrities.

Icons are always very important in LGBT. I guess it is because history is always important in any kinds of social movement. In London pride there is an exhibition of gay icons. The website mentioned people like k.d. lang, Harvey Milk and Andy Warhol. What I am thinking is, the difficulties in Hong Kong maybe is that, we lack of gay icons.

Gay icons are not only including gay or lesbian (otherwise Sandy Lam would not be an icon in gay community in Hong Kong), but people who are recognized by the community. However, still there are not many of them recognizing or directly contributing to Hong Kong LGBT community (other than Anthony Wong in advertisement in AIDS concern), which I think is something lack in gay movement in Hong Kong.

Imagining Hong Kong Pride

Ok, I have to admit I am a bit tired for serious analysis so I guess it is nice to have some fun, and after all LGBT community is creative isn’t it? (I know it is stereotype again, I know.)

Maybe it would be fun to imagine Hong Kong Pride after 10 years? I wish it would be bigger, of course, and more fun. I don’t mean gay culture in West is the best (and “the West” is just a concept of course, it is not the same in… let’s say Poland and Sweden), but it is just nice to have fun sometimes.

I wish there would be more celebrities supporting. Of course gay icons such as my idol Anthony Wong, and others like Sandy Lam, at17, Chet Lam and Denise Ho (some said Prudence Liew is a Lesbian icon but I know nothing about it)… but it would be even better for those very straight acting people appear in the parade – it is diversity.

The LGBT bookstore in Stockholm

I wish there would be more different kinds of activities. I don’t mean parties. When I was in Stockholm I visited a LGBT bookstore – it is my all time favorite. Sometimes I feel Hong Kong LGBT community is lack of theories to back up. People struggle because they do not have the knowledge. I remember one of my interviewee (in honors project) told me she felt much better after taking gender studies in university. It is her case and my case as well, so I strongly believe knowledge improves the condition of this community.

Concert of Chet Lam and Eman Lam in October - all my lesbian friends were going there... of course also the show of Denise Ho just a few days after, basically you see 90% of young lesbian population there.

I wish people sing and dance. I know it is a bit silly but when the West have YMCA, Go West, I’ll survive and Dancing Queen, why don’t we also make our own anthem? I think it would be really fun, but please I don’t want a sad song… I mean, actually there are some popular songs in the community. Hmmm… refer to my gay friend, they like Sandy’s songs such as 沒結果 and 哭, but hey, it is so gloomy! Actually Denise Ho’s 光明會 is nice (and many said the song is refer to LGBT community), however my gay friend would not approve it I know (he would say, “I don’t like her.”).

Oh I am going to turn it into an essay… it is nice to imagine, indeed I just wish one day we do not need parade anymore – yeah, it is very contradicting.

More thoughts on naming

Last week I went to a talk held in university accidentally. Finally I encountered Connie from WCHK after watching the (in)famous episode of Hong Kong Connection a few years ago. She is a very attractive speaker. Even though I have known and of course experienced in using all those terms in LGBT world that she introduced to the audience, it was still a very pleasant experience to revise.

Later on I found out the target audience of the talk is student in social work, then I understand that they learn these terms to communicate with LGBT clients. Yes, it is easier when one learns these terms, then people would think that she or he is part of them.

It reminds me with my honors project, I interview lesbians. One of them always uses the term “homosexuals” and “heterosexuals”. It sounds weird to me as she sounds very clinical, and as if she is not belongs to any groups. Then later, I found out she feels her being an outsider in school and friends, and then I could see the reason.

Suddenly, I realise the lack of gay right movement in Hong Kong. We don't have enough theories to back up like in Taiwan for example. If the girl could learn to use less formal words like "straight", then maybe she would be able to think more positively towards herself.

Answer to names

Recently I read offcial website for London Pride, and seems I found part of the answers for the naming issue.

They do not use a lot of terms like queer or LGBT, instead they use neutral words like "you" or "people". It is just so amazing to me, even these are really simple words. However it just shows how neutral and diverse the participants (that they expected) are. It includes everyone, it welcomes everyone.

Indeed, if Pride day is merely a day for LGBT or people who support them, it would be a rather meaningless party. If Pride day excludes some people, then it just does the same thing like those homophobias. The use of "people", therefore, is really one of the best things I have seen in the whole website.

Names

I got this button pin in Oslo Pride, it is written "Jeg er i hvert fall ikke hetero". I was really curious of the meaning of this, so I asked a Norwegian girl in that counter. She told me it means "I am anything but not straight", then she further explained to me that, because the pride includes everyone who is not straight, therefore they made this button pin.

After reading Simone de Beauvoir and also Chou Wah-Shan, I started to further think about the naming of LGBT community. Of course now there are only few people would like to use the clinical term "homosexual", but in Hong Kong, the use of the word "queer" is not popular, instead, people use "tongzhi".

Chou Wah-Shan mentioned in his book the origin and the meaning "tongzhi" carries. It sounds really political correct. However, I remember one of my gay friends once said, he doesn't want to use "tongzhi", simply because he doesn't feel like having same will or same ambition with other gay people.

I keep on thinking about these "naming" and "label" issues for this project, hopefully I can draw some conclusions on my observation.

Why gay parade?

I suggested the topic "presentation and representation of gay parade", simply because of my experience in Oslo. Since I arrived in Norway as an exchange student, I have been looking forward to at least go to one gay pride parade.

However, it is rather difficult to search for one in winter time, therefore before I left Europe in the end of June, I could only go to Oslo Pride, which is a relatively small one. Anyway, it was still a nice experience. Not only because of the nice crowd, also because of the interesting use of symbols, colours, and of course, language. Therefore I think it would be an interesting project to explore the use of language in gay parade.

From now on, I will write more on the experience in Oslo, and the information of Pride London and Hong Kong Pride, which I gathered for this project.