Unity in Diversity: Gay Games to Make Asian Debut in Hong Kong

For the first time since they were launched, the Gay Games, dubbed the “Gay Olympics”, are coming to South East Asia, to be hosted by Hong Kong from November 3 to 11, 2023. The Gay Games Hong Kong (GGHK) or Gay Games 11 will also be the first to be cohosted by Asian and Latin American cities as Hong Kong is slated to host the event with the city of Guadalajara, Mexico.

The event celebrates unity and diversity through sports and cultural exchanges. According to organizers, anyone aged 18 and older can participate “regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, or even training level.” Participants will take part in sports ranging from badminton, dodgeball, fencing, soccer, and mahjong, to open water swimming, 5km and 10km road racing, rowing, and squash, among others.

A Brief History

First held in 1982 in San Francisco, US, the Gay Olympics were the brainchild of medical doctor and decathlete Tom Waddel and Brenda Young, among others, and were meant to be a cultural and sporting event that promotes the acceptance of gender and sexual diversity. Much like the Olympic Games, the Gay Olympics have a torch of their own which is lit at the opening ceremony. The Games receive participants from all walks of life, including those from countries in which homosexuality is a crime. Each year’s games have their own theme, with the inaugural Gay Olympics being launched under the banner Challenge.

The 1994 Gay Olympics stood out as they coincided with the 20^th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in the US. Held in New York, the games overshadowed the Olympic games held two years prior in Barcelona with a turnout of 10,864 athletes compared to a total of 9,356. To date, there have been 10 Gay Olympics, with the most recent being the Paris 2018 Gay Games 10 held in Paris, France, from August 4 to 12, 2018, with the theme All Equality. It featured over 36 games, 14 cultural events, academic conferences, and 10,317 participants from 91 countries.

Game of Fear and Discrimination

Whether from the massive Olympic Games fan base or from their own countrymen, many LGBT+ athletes who have taken part in the Olympic Games have faced various forms of discrimination, pushback, and backlash due to their gender and sexual identities. Since coming out, British Olympic gold medalist diver Tom Daley has reflected on his decision to come out and how terrifying it was, and having to contend with fans treating him differently after he revealed his sexuality.

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Meanwhile, South African double gold medalist middle-distance runner and intersex AFAB (Assigned Female at Birth), Caster Semenya, was made to undergo sex testing after her decisive victories raised questions about her sex, a mere three hours before the 2009 World Championships. She would subsequently face increasing challenges due to a rule change that demanded she take testosterone suppressants in order to compete in the female category, a decision she unsuccessfully appealed at the Court of Arbitration for Sports.

Laurel Hubbard from New Zealand made history as the first transgender woman to ever compete in the Olympics at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games 18 years after the International Olympic Committee first created a policy allowing transgender athletes to compete in the games.  Leading up to her participation in the Games, Hubbard faced increased online harassment, to which she told reporters, “I know that my participation at these Games has not been entirely without controversy, but they have been just so wonderful.”

Anti-Trans sentiment in women’s sports has grown in recent years, the most recent case being that of American swimmer Leah Thomas, whose competing against Cis female athletes caused an outcry in the US and has since prompted many conservative leaders in the country to propose or pass laws restricting trans women from participating in female sports.

Closer to home, Li Ying of China’s female soccer team, the Steel Roses, was the first elite female athlete to come out as a lesbian in China. Following her coming out, she faced some backlash, even being left out of the squad to represent China in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games, despite having secured her team decisive victories in the past. After not only confirming her sexuality but also posting a photo celebrating her one-year anniversary with influencer Chen Leilei on Chinese Twitter-like social media platform, Weibo, her post was inundated with abuse, prompting her to delete it.

Indian professional sprinter, Dutee Chand, also came out as Gay after homosexuality was decriminalized in India. After coming out as Gay and declaring she was in a relationship with a woman, Chand faced severe backlash from people in her home country despite her stellar record as an athlete. Both Li and Chand’s experiences highlight the need for further understanding of LGBTQIA+ people, especially in South East Asia where issues of sexuality and gender identity often go unspoken, and when voiced, are condemned, ignored, or swept under the rug.

Here’s hoping that Gay Games 11 will bring a tide of change to the region.

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