| Hong Kong's gay and lesbian community put on a colourful display of pride yesterday, marching in the city's second annual pride parade to celebrate homosexuality. The air was thick with cheers, chants and laughter as the participants gathered in Southorn Playground in Wan Chai. They carried rainbow flags, banners and placards that read Walking with pride, We are family and Proud to be who we are. Passers-by were entertained as about 1,000 participants, some in sexy outfits and costumes, danced and sang as they marched to Central, where they concluded their celebration with a pop concert in Chater Garden. Some spectators greeted the parade with smiles and cheered in support. One participant, university student Iris Wong, said: We came out today to show people that gay men and lesbians are just normal people. Some people think we are crazy or have mental problems. But we like to tell them that we just have a different lifestyle. One onlooker, Daniel Chan, 24, of Wan Chai, said: I think it is good fun to have so many gay people partying on the street. I don't have gay friends, but I don't see being gay as a sin. But a sales assistant and mother of two, Mrs Lee, said: Homosexuality is a taboo for many Chinese. Chinese are more traditional. I don't think I would accept gay people as friends. The annual gay pride parade also attracted groups of supporters from the mainland and Taiwan. League of Social Democrats legislator Wong Yuk-man attended to show his support for equal rights. While annual gay pride parades have been common for many years in Western countries and even in Taiwan, it was not until last year that a group decided to organise such an event for Hong Kong. That parade was marred by controversy, when Citybus refused to rent a double-decker bus to the organisers because of concerns over its company image. A spokeswoman for the parade organisers, Connie Chan Man-wai, said: Many Hong Kong people still see same-sex partners as queer or something that they should stay away from. We hope to make the parade more like a carnival, rather than a protest demanding this or that from the government. We hope people see us as a happy community. Chan said the organisers hoped to make the event an annual tourist attraction. We have contacted the tourism authorities, hoping they could post this event on their website. But they have not responded. We are a bit disappointed, she said. Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, Secretary for Home Affairs Tsang Tak-sing and Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Stephen Lam Sui-lung turned down invitations to attend, Chan said. Homosexuality was decriminalised in Hong Kong in the early 1990s. Earlier this year, controversies erupted after the government proposed amending the domestic violence law to enable same-sex couples to seek a court injunction to prevent their partner abusing them.. Copyright (c) 2009. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
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