Let's hit 5th floor tonight! - A little bit of everything about the gays and gay bars in Hong Kong

Image source: Courtesy Eaton HK, https://www.timeout.com/hong-kong/lgbt/the-best-lgbtqi-venues-in-hong-kong

Wong

Mr Wong (he/him) is a first-year BBA(Law)&LLB student at HKU. He is a big fan boy of K-pop.

Summary:
​Shimmery spotlights, loud music and intoxicating liqour. As the K-pop girl group song reaches its climax, so is the atmosphere of the bar. Mr A will walk us through a little bit of everything about gay bar, and his insight into LGBTQ+ issues.

Bars and the Gay Liberation Movement
Did you know that in the past, if you wanted to know whether someone was gay, you could ask him, ‘Do you know where is PP?(PP refers to the first generation gay bar in Hong Kong  - Propaganda)’. If he smiles, you know that he is a friend of Dorothy. Well, for now, ask him if he has ever been to the fifth floor (referring to a gay bar called Vibranium). Gay bar is a really ideal place for relaxing, getting yourself intoxicated or meeting some new friends (or even your lover). On the other hand, gay bars also played a essential role in the gay liberation movement.

‘You just feel like you are not alone here, you know,’ Mr A, who is a frequent customer of gay bars, said. ‘Hong Kong is much more conservative than you think. People are just, close-minded, not willing to accept things that were different from what they perceived. People always say “Be yourself”, but how do I dare to when most people around me are homophobic,’ Mr A added.

Indeed, Hong Kong, although has positioned itself to become the world city of Asia, is conservative. Only was sexual intercourse between homosexuals in Hong Kong decriminalised in 1991. Back in 1969 had Hong Kong tried to decriminalise sexual intercourse between homosexuals but failed, due to the opposition of the ethnic Chinese people. 

‘Their comments are hurtful, for real. You won’t want to know what they have said to me when I came out to them. They were my classmates. Anyways, I am sort of a tough guy, and I can bear with those comments (laugh). Thats’s why I come to visit gay bars so frequently, I feel included here, I feel like I can actually be myself here, there’s no need to camouflage myself anymore. It feels so good,’ said Mr A. 

But not all the gays had the priviledge to ‘Be Yourself’ in the past. June 28, 1970 was a date which marked the first-ever-held Gay Pride. It was also the date which marked the first anniversary of the Stonewall riots. In the 50s and 60s, the judiciary of the United States was homophobic, the society itself was, too,  homophobic. So what happened was that there was a police raid at the Stonewall Inn in New York City, at which there were so many gay and lesbian bars owned by Mafia. The people there fought back and things went violent. It was the Stonewall riots which had united the members of the  LQBTQ+ community in the United States regardless of their race, sex, social status, to form a coherent ‘communuity’. 

When being asked if there is any interesting thing in gay bar, Mr A said, ‘Handsome men! (laugh) Nah, it’s more than just about men. The drinks, the ear-piercing music, and more importantly, the atmosphere. People who go there just want to have fun, you know. Forget about work and burden and just have some fun. There is a bar which I often go to, and there is a dance floor in the middle. Oftentimes when the atmosphere reaches its climax, I climb up there and dance like crazy!’ 

Regarding his views towards the future of the gays in Hong Kong, Mr A suggested, ‘That is a delicate issue. For me I dare not to say pessimistic, but also not that optimistic indeed. The gay marriage, the sexual orientation discrimination ordinance, homosexual couples adopting children, all this issues should have been dealt with a long time ago, but what is the progress? Eternal consultation is what we have now. I see the dawn though, like the Gay Games 2023.’

Things do change. 153 years after criminalising sexual intercourse between homosexuals, Hong Kong is holding her first Gay Games in 2023.  Six months after the Stonewall riots, two communities which focused on LGBTQ+ rights and three newspaper offices which promoted the lives of the members of the LGBTQ+ community were established. On 28 June, 1970, the very first Gay Pride was held in New York City, San Fransisco, Los Angeles and Chicago. From that date on, other cities held Gay Pride in late june in memorial of the Stonewall riots. The Stonewall riots marked a milestone in the gay liberation movement. After that, more and more gays stood up and set up organisations concerning the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. 

‘Actually those legislative things should be, and should have been done, but those are not what concern me. For me, I just want to love someone I love, just like others, and that’s it! I mean, who needs to come out actually when you are just loving the one you love,’ Mr A concluded. 


Laws around alcohol
We all know that only those who are 18 or above can buy alcohol. Dutiable Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance 2018 (Cap. 109) states:

A person must not sell intoxicating liquor from a vending machine.

A person must not, in the course of business, sell or supply intoxicating liquor to a minor.

Furthermore, there are also regulations for the minors who drink alcohol on licensed premises. Dutiable Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance 2018 (Cap. 109) states:

A licensee must not permit a minor to drink any intoxicating liquor on any licensed premises.
 
But it may come to your surprise that there are no regulations for minors to drink alcohol on private premises. 

​

Sources:
[1] https://www.info.gov.hk/info/sar5/easia.htm
[2] https://lgbtpedia.hk/1969/05/31/1969%e5%b9%b4/