‘No Democracy! No Equality!’ – LGBT Rights Advocacy and the Struggle for Democratization in Hong Kong

Research in western countries has examined the interaction between democratization and the development of LGBT rights, especially focusing on the effects of democratic political system and international normative pressure on the recognition of same-sex relationships. However, the relationship between democracy and the recognition sexual minorities’ rights in other parts of the world is seldom explored. This paper breaks the ground by using Hong Kong, a postcolonial city under the influence of Chinese culture in the Asian region, as a case study, where the democratic movement and LGBT equality advocacy has been rapidly developing. This study aims to investigate: first, the political stance and participation of LGBT individuals in Hong Kong democratic movement and second, the interaction between struggles over LGBT equality and democratic development. By adopting a mixed-method approach, this paper analyses an online survey of more than 1,000 LGB-identified individuals in Hong Kong, one of the largest datasets of LGB people in Hong Kong and 15 in-depth interviews with LGBT activists who have participated in democratic movements. It is found that among the LGB population, there is a higher percentage of LGB people (61.9%), aged 18-29, who participated in Hong Kong Umbrella Movement, a large-scale democratic movement in 2014, than the general public (40%) in the same age group. And a vast majority of them self-identified with anti-establishment political stances. At the macro-level, with the slogan,’ No democracy! No equality!’, LGBT advocacy is intertwined with the democratic movement and human rights discourses have been used for framing. However, the conflicts between religious power, traditional family values and LGBT equality within the pro-democratic community are still unsolved. This study contributes to the discussion of interaction and dilemma between LGBT equality and democratic movements outside the established western democracies. (Dr Suen Yiu Tung is the co-author of this study)