Tonight and tomorrow will see a glamorous gala concert featuring performers ranging from the Hong Kong Philharmonic to famous drag acts Shea Coulee and Courtney Act.

A sister event is simultaneously being held in Guadalajara in Mexico, the first Latin-American country to play host.

Regina Ip says Hong Kong Gay Games is ‘creating history’, amid calls to cancel

Hong Kong was a different place when it was awarded the right to stage the Games in 2017. Since then, the city has experienced civil unrest, a new national security law and three years of pandemic restrictions. The Games were postponed for a year because of Covid-19. Guadalajara was added as co-host because of concerns Hong Kong’s curbs on travel would prevent overseas participants from attending.

Those restrictions have since been lifted. But the Games have, sadly, continued to attract controversy. Concerns over the impact of the national security law have led some participants to stay away, notably those from Taiwan. A number of LGBTQ activists have called for the games to be cancelled.

Meanwhile, conservative lawmakers citing “family values” also want the event stopped. Some have even suggested it breaches the national security law. This is absurd. No evidence has been produced to back up the fanciful notion that the Games are somehow part of a US plot to subvert Hong Kong. The organisers have stressed the event is not political, nor has it been funded by foreign governments.

The Gay Games, open to all adults whatever their sexual orientation, offers Hong Kong a golden opportunity to show the world that it is an open and progressive international city. The event’s mission is “unity in diversity.”

But the government has shown little interest, providing no funds and only one venue. There have been no welcoming remarks or statements of support, just a terse reminder that the event must be safe, orderly and lawful.

Four government bodies are listed as “supporting organisations”. They are the Equal Opportunities Commission, The Hong Kong Tourism Board, Brand Hong Kong and InvestHK. The EOC has expressed support for the Games. But these bodies do not appear to have provided much in the way of tangible backing.

Rather than actively embracing the Games, officials seem embarrassed that Hong Kong is hosting them. Government adviser and lawmaker Regina Ip, who officiated at yesterday’s opening ceremony, deserves credit for her long-standing and steadfast support for the event. More should follow her example.

The Games are being held at a critical point in Hong Kong’s treatment of the LGBTQ community. A series of court decisions, gathering pace in the last few weeks, have secured equal rights in specific areas. In September, the top court required the government to come up with a framework for the recognition of core rights for same-sex couples.

Meanwhile, opinion polls consistently show growing acceptance and support within the Hong Kong community, especially the young, for the furtherance and protection of such rights. It can no longer be said that society is not ready.

Many big sporting events face difficulties and controversy when in the pipeline. Usually, those problems evaporate once the event begins and people enter into the spirit of the occasion. Let us hope this is what happens with Hong Kong’s Gay Games.

The event reminds us that all people, whatever their gender, sexual orientation, race or nationality, deserve respect and equal treatment. We should all be rallying to that particular cause.