Skip to content
August 8, 2025
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • tiktok
MILLENNIUM NEWS 24/7

MILLENNIUM NEWS 24/7

Bridging The Community’s World Wide

  • Home
  • IP TV LIVE
  • PODCAST
  • U.S.News
  • LOCAL ELECTION
  • State News
    • Alabama
    • Alaska
    • Arizona
    • Arkansas
    • California
    • Colorado
    • Connecticut
    • Delaware
    • Florida
    • Georgia
    • Hawaii
    • Idaho
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Kentucky
    • Louisiana
    • Maryland
    • Massachusetts
    • Michigan
    • Maine
    • Minnesota
    • Mississippi
    • Missouri
    • Montana
    • Nebraska
    • Nevada
    • New Hampshire
    • New Jersey
    • New Mexico
    • New York
    • North Carolina
    • North Dakota
    • Oregon
    • Pennsylvania
    • Rhode Island
    • South Carolina
    • South Dakota
    • Tennessee
    • Texas
    • Virginia
    • Washington
    • West Virginia
    • U.S. Virgin Islands
  • Politics
  • World News
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
  • Weather
  • Business
  • Health News
  • ADVERTISEMENT
  • About Us
  • Contact us
Live TV

Asia’s first Gay Games to kick off in Hong Kong, fostering hopes for wider LGBTQ+ inclusion

Football enthusiast Gina Benjamin is not just training for victory in the upcoming Gay Games in Hong Kong, but she’s also on a mission to help push for legal reform for same-sex marriage.

After moving to Hong Kong from Britain in 2016, Benjamin, 33, met her true love in the semi-autonomous southern Chinese city. But local laws, recognizing only heterosexual marriages, forced the couple to travel to the British Embassy in Vietnam to get married in August. Their inability to marry in the city where their love story unfolded left her frustrated.

This weekend the drama teacher along with diverse teams of male, female and transgender players will take to the pitch with what she calls “a big purpose.” She hopes participation in the games can show the government the city’s strong support for equal rights for same-sex couples.

“We’re playing to possibly change laws,” she said.

Set to begin on Friday, the first Gay Games in Asia are fostering hopes for wider LGBTQ+ inclusion in the regional financial hub, following recent court wins in favor of equality for same-sex couples and transgender people.

After a year’s delay due to the pandemic, the nine-day event will host about 2,400 participants from some 40 territories. They will compete in a range of games, from tennis and swimming to culturally rich activities like dragon boat racing and mahjong.

Lisa Lam, co-chair of the Gay Games, said LGBTQ+ acceptance in Asia is still lower than in the rest of the world and that it’s important to make sexual minorities visible in the community.

“Biases come from misunderstanding or stereotypes,” Lam said. “Bringing different people together, you are able to break down stereotypes.”

But organizers have faced various challenges since winning the bid to host the games in 2017.

The opportunity to grow Hong Kong’s reputation as an inclusive international financial hub did not draw much support from the government. Some lawmakers have even attacked the games, with one suggesting it could pose a threat to national security.

The scale of the event also falls short of the organizers’ original goals set in 2016. They had aimed to attract 15,000 participants and inject 1 billion Hong Kong dollars (US$128 million) into the economy.

The COVID-19 pandemic is largely to blame for its downsize. As Hong Kong grappled with the uncertainty of when stringent quarantine rules for travelers would be eased, Guadalajara in Mexico was named as a co-host for the games.

With a closer option available, many individuals from Europe and America opted not to undertake the lengthy journey to Hong Kong, Lam said. The high costs associated with long-haul flights and hotel accommodations in the post-pandemic era also deterred many potential visitors, she added.

Others are hesitant to visit due to the risks posed by a Beijing-imposed national security law that has jailed and silenced many activists following 2019 pro-democracy protests. Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, will not send a delegation to Hong Kong out of safety concerns.

But equality advocate Jerome Yau was optimistic that the community would still appreciate how the games promote LGBTQ+ dialogue. It can take time for people to fully realize the legacy of an event, said the co-founder of non-governmental organization Hong Kong Marriage Equality.

LGBTQ+ activism is a rare spot that is still making considerable progress in Hong Kong under a government crackdown on its civil society.

Over the past year, the city’s courts have ruled that full sex reassignment surgery should not be a prerequisite for transgender people to have their gender changed on their official identity cards and backed the granting of equal housing and inheritance rights for same-sex couples married overseas. Hong Kong is now moving toward a framework for recognizing same-sex partnerships following a landmark ruling in September. All these wins were brought by legal challenges launched by members of the LGBTQ+ community amid growing social acceptance of same-sex marriage.

Suen Yiu-tung, a gender studies professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, acknowledged the positive progress but said Hong Kong’s LGBTQ+ development remains uneven because other areas have not advanced much. Suen pointed out that discrimination based on sexual orientation is still legal in the private sector, and that a report from a 2017 public consultation on legal gender recognition has yet to be released.

While government policies may take years to fully incorporate equal rights, many members of the LGBTQ+ community are proactively seizing every opportunity to drive small changes. Hundreds of volunteers have helped to build the Gay Games.

Emery Fung, a 29-year-old founder of a diversity and inclusion consultancy, is one of them. He helped set up all-gender toilets for participants and arrange some contests to allow people of different genders to play together — breaking from the tradition of conventional sporting events, which typically segregate players by sex.

“I hope that ultimately, there will be a day people won’t need to specifically state what kind of person I am or what kind of person you are, we just all live together,” he said.

 

 

About Author

dreamboy

See author's posts

Continue Reading

Previous: Ferry that ran aground and leaked oil off Sweden’s coast is towed back into a harbor
Next: Executions in Iran are up 30%, a new United Nations report says

Related Stories

Indian authorities in Kashmir ban books by eminent writers and scholars

Indian authorities in Kashmir ban books by eminent writers and scholars

Netanyahu to seek approval for expanded Gaza offensive as 37 Palestinians are killed

Netanyahu to seek approval for expanded Gaza offensive as 37 Palestinians are killed

Putin says he hopes to meet with Trump as the White House presses for a Ukraine peace deal

Putin says he hopes to meet with Trump as the White House presses for a Ukraine peace deal

Entertainment

Britain’s Royal Mail celebrates Monty Python with stamps featuring iconic sketches and characters 1

Britain’s Royal Mail celebrates Monty Python with stamps featuring iconic sketches and characters

Emmylou Harris and Brad Paisley are headed for Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame 2

Emmylou Harris and Brad Paisley are headed for Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame

Eddie Palmieri, pioneering Latin jazz musician and Grammy winner, dies at 88 3

Eddie Palmieri, pioneering Latin jazz musician and Grammy winner, dies at 88

Lady Gaga leads 2025 MTV Video Music Awards nominations, followed by Bruno Mars and Kendrick Lamar 4

Lady Gaga leads 2025 MTV Video Music Awards nominations, followed by Bruno Mars and Kendrick Lamar

Ozzy Osbourne died of a heart attack, report says, citing death certificate 5

Ozzy Osbourne died of a heart attack, report says, citing death certificate

Flaco Jimenez, Texas accordionist who expanded popularity of conjunto and Tejano music, dies at 86 6

Flaco Jimenez, Texas accordionist who expanded popularity of conjunto and Tejano music, dies at 86

Jeannie Seely, soulful country singer behind hits like ‘Don’t Touch Me,’ dies at 85 7

Jeannie Seely, soulful country singer behind hits like ‘Don’t Touch Me,’ dies at 85

Top News

Indian authorities in Kashmir ban books by eminent writers and scholars

Indian authorities in Kashmir ban books by eminent writers and scholars

Netanyahu to seek approval for expanded Gaza offensive as 37 Palestinians are killed

Netanyahu to seek approval for expanded Gaza offensive as 37 Palestinians are killed

Putin says he hopes to meet with Trump as the White House presses for a Ukraine peace deal

Putin says he hopes to meet with Trump as the White House presses for a Ukraine peace deal

Haiti prepares for new leadership as gunfire erupts and gangs threaten to overthrow government

Haiti prepares for new leadership as gunfire erupts and gangs threaten to overthrow government

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • tiktok
Editor: Nur M Tofader, Home Office: 250 Park Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10177 Tell: 718 893 0002 (Office), 7188441300, +1212 401 6266, e-mail: Info@millenniuamtv24.com, e-mail: Info@millenniuamnews24.com, Copyright © Millennium News 24/7 | DarkNews by AF themes.