PLUG Magazine - Shock Issue by PLUG Magazine

The Shock Issue S p r i n g 2 014

C O M M U N I T Y & C U LT U R E

Photography Credit

Contents COMMUNITY 08 State of Our Unions 10 Shock Me Not 18 What Shocks You? 20 Shock Culture 23 An Update from Mr Gay HK 24 Flashbang! 31 Bitch, Please 34 Queerography

CULTURE 39 Stage Songs for Children 44 Film Top 5 Shocking Films 48 Style In the Closet of... 50 Art Marc Standing 54 Food Snap, Crackle & Pop 58 Photo Eternal Adoration 64 Travel March of the Mumbaikars 70 Fashion Ian Waller 76 Sex XXXWord Puzzle

Cover Photos Design Ian James Waller Photo Rory Van Millingen Model Harvey James @ AMCK

MAGAZINE

EDITORIAL DIRECTORS Liam Greenall Timothy Loo BUSINESS DIRECTOR Guishe Munoz COMMUNITY EDITOR Josie Mitchell CULTURE EDITOR Sean Broadhurst

Let’s network.

ASSISTANT EDITOR Jason Kwan

Find us online to stay in touch and up to date with content, events, and what we have in store for our loyal PLUG followers.

WEB EDITOR Lap Capistrano

www.plug-magazine.com

MARKETING John Gil PHOTO EDITOR Phoebe Yeung GRAPHIC DESIGN TEEM Timothy T Wong

CONTACT info@plug-magazine.com editor@plug-magazine.com www.plug-magazine.com

F O L LO W U S

Contributors

“Who shocks you?”

Joseph Gualtieri CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Anyone who can resist the hipster baristas of Sheung Wan. The faux hawks, the faded denim tops, the gentle condescension. It’s too much for the flesh and blood to handle. Lap Capistrano DIGITAL EDITOR

People, and in some cases whole governments, who still choose to hate on others and their right to decide who to love. I think that to love is altogether a much kinder and less stressful option. John Gil MARKETING

The President of Venezuela and his team. Fuck them all. Josie Mitchell COMMUNITY EDITOR

People who actively hate on the LGBT community, such as certain Christian groups in Hong Kong that object to laws that offer us protection against discrimination. It shocks me that anyone would oppose another human being from being entitled to equal rights. That doesn’t sound very Christian to me. Sean Broadhurst CULTURE EDITOR

People who steal coats at parties! Jason Kwan ASSISTANT EDITOR

The 1960s American poet, Thom Gunn. His shockingly delicate and controlled poetry, written when homosexuality was illegal in the UK, is fearless, honest, and empathetic in dealing with his struggles with love, AIDS, and his artistic rebellion.

Letter from the Editors It’s March? Already? We wanted to welcome you all to the new year, but considering we’re nearly three months in, we’ll start with SPRING is here! Let’s face it, it’s been a cold and miserable winter and the only thing that kept the PLUG Team warm was a hot whiskey and the drive to bring you some fresh hot content. What started out as a quiet few weeks at the beginning of the new year soon turned into a chaotic kaleidoscope of escapades as the PLUG team went full gallop into all things SHOCK! The first thing on our agenda was going back to our roots and organising a party to remember. The PLUG Club was born, and whether you were a FLASHER or a BANGER, the night definitely welcomed in the year of the horse. With the success of The PLUG Club (which looks like it is here to stay and growing to be the best straight-friendly gay party in town) and the phenomenal response we’ve had from the first two issues, we’re very thankful for your kindness and loyal support. Our next step is delving into the digital realm by developing our website and creating an app so all you pluggers can keep on plugging. Already this year there has been some shocking news and stories in the media in the fight for equality across the globe. The media is saturated with graphic images, sluttish slogans and quick-fire facts that arouse our senses, makes us think for a minute or two and opens up discussions in our Facebook chat feeds. But what comes out of these experiences? And what happens when you’re actually part of one of those experiences? In the Community section, we touch on the status of same-sex marriage in Hong Kong and the people working hard to bring equality to the LGBT community. Our editors, Josie and Jason, met with a mix of transgender people eager to tell their story and encourage others in writing their own. Culture Editor, Sean, took a trip to Mumbai to do some coverage on the Queer Azaadi March and to find out what it’s like to live in a country where its supreme courts decide to reinstate a ban on same-sex relationships. From the initial shock to anger the LGBT community in Mumbai shared their concerns and worries for the future of not only their city but the country as a whole. We also got a little bit tipsy one weekend! Purely for research purposes only. We turned ourselves into mixology scientist and concocted twenty six shockingly kick-ass cocktails, with equally shocking ingredients. We tempt you to give them a go yourself. Recipes in the food section. Finally, enjoy the Shock Issue! Make sure you’re signed up on PLUG’s official website, www.plug-magazine.com, and following us on Facebook to keep up to date with what’s going on throughout 2014. - Liam and Tim

Community 08 State of Our Union A quick survey of the current state of same-sex marriage in Hong Kong, Asia, and the rest of the world. 10 Shock Me Not Transgender issues and experiences candidly told from the view of a student, a police officer and an activist. 18 What Shocks You? We asked you to anonymously answer, ‘What shocks you?’ and this is what you gave us. Thanks for sharing. 20 Shock Culture A look into heteronormativity in Hong Kong, and what we can do to disrupt it. 23 An Update from Mr Gay HK Michael Morrill updates us on his time as Mr Gay HK and his trip to Whistler to enjoy the Mr Gay Canada festivities. 25 FLASHBANG! So good it was hard to remember, we’ve put together some unforgettable moments from February’s inaugural PLUG Club Party. 31 Bitch, Please Is there a cure to the epidemic of bitchiness ravaging gay culture? 34 Queerography An interview with the photographer behind a new book of intimate photography which features members of Asia’s queer community.

THE STATE OF OUR UNIONS We survey the current state of affairs behind legalizing same-sex marriage and putting anti-discrimination laws in place for the LGBT-community in Hong Kong.

0 Sadly, there are no Asian countries where same-sex marriage is legal. Places to watch: Taiwan (legislation pending) Nepal (under consideration) Vietnam (proposed for 2014)

17 Countries where same-sex marriage has been legalized

Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Iceland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Wales and Uruguay Honorable Mentions Scotland United States Mexico Israel

Double Happiness

The first organisation in Hong Kong to actively campaign for the legal recognition of same-sex couples’ relationships and marriage equality. Founded by Abby Lee, Betty Grisoni, Guy Ho and Henry Lam in early 2014.

“We set up Double Happiness because we felt that there wasn’t any proper organisation representing gay and lesbian couples that are married overseas and want their marriage officially recognised by the Hong Kong government”, says Abby Lee, one of the founders of Double Happiness and now

24 Asian countries where homosexual acts are illegal Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, India, Iran, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine/Gaza Strip, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syri, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Yemen 8

“The right to freedom of marriage, as guaranteed under the Basic Law and Bill of Rights, currently covers only heterosexual marriage.”

Timeline of Events

campaigning to marry her French partner at the Hong Kong French Consulate. “We are also representing couples fighting to get married in Hong Kong either in Hong Kong’s registration offices or consulates of countries which laws allow same sex marriages.”

1991 The Crime Amendment Bill is passed so that two consenting males above 21 years of age engaging in homosexual conduct in private was no longer an offense. In 2006, the age of consent for both heterosexuals and homosexuals was equalized at 16.

2007

If you’d like more information or to join the campaign, contact the founders at: doublehappiness.lgbt@ gmail.com

The Court of Final Appeal held that sexual orientation falls within the vague scope of other status in the provisions of the Bill Of Rights, and hence discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation is unconstitutional. Not exactly locked down.

2010

The Domestic and Cohabitation Relationships Violence Ordinance begins to provide protection from violence for people in homosexual and heterosexual cohabitation relationships.

James & Jonny

ANTIDISCRIMINATION

How did you two meet? We met on a date in July 2012. We actually lived next door to each other at the time. We met at free vodka night, missed the last ferry home and ended up getting a sampan back to Lamma. Now we live together with our dog and cat, Sarah and Cous Cous. We also regularly foster animals through LAP - Lifelong Animal Protection, a Lamma-based charity.

The Hong Kong Bill of Rights Article 22

All persons are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to the equal protection of the law. In this respect, the law shall prohibit any discrimination and guarantee to all persons equal and effective protection against discrimination on any ground such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political, or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

What are your plans for getting married? We’ve decided to move to the UK to get married, it’s more secure than if we were to stay in Hong Kong where there would be no recognition of the marriage. To be honest, Hong Kong’s way behind on a lot of things, the lack of recognition of gay marriage isn’t that shocking. The lack of anti-discrimination laws regarding sexuality is more shocking. We haven’t set a date yet, it’ll depend on the paperwork. The UK government is getting tough on spousal visas. Tell us about the proposal. We were at Ferry Pier 4 in Central back in November, just having some wine waiting to go to Lamma. I asked Jonny, and he said, ‘Yeah sure’. I wasn’t on one knee or anything. It wasn’t really a shock for either of us – it seemed like a natural thing to ask. So we just got more wine!

2011

The Hong Kong College of Psychiatrists announces that homosexuality is not an illness and that there is no scientific evidence to support the attempts of changing anyone’s sexual orientation.

2012

3½ Asian countries with antidiscrimination laws in place Nepal, South Korea, Israel Taiwan (in work and education)

James, from the UK, and Jonny, Filipino but born in Hong Kong, enjoying a cruise down the river on a trip to Vietnam last year, and featured in the ‘Give Love A Chance’ Campaign by Lifelong Animal Protection with their beautiful terrier cross, Sarah.

Lawmakers reject a motion calling for public consultation on a law to ensure equal rights for people of all sexual orientations. There is still no clear way towards a Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Discrimination Ordinance.

2013

In the judgment of W v Registrar of Marriage, the Court Of Final Appeal held in favour of the right of post-operative transsexual individuals to marry as guaranteed by the Basic Law and Hong Kong Bill of Rights.

S TAT U S U P D AT E

Although Hong Kong faces an international legal obligation to fulfill the right to equality and non-discrimination, there is currently no explicit legislation that prohibits discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity. Last year, the Court of Final Appeal found that marriage as a social institution had undergone far-reaching changes in many developed nations and Hong Kong and that the absence of a majority consensus may not be relied on as a reason for rejecting fundamental rights of a minority. We hope that these small steps towards equality continue, and are encouraged by the members in our community who are taking it on themselves to see that change is made sooner than later.

SPECIAL THANKS TO A M N E S T Y I N T E R N AT I O N A L w w w. a m n e s t y. o r g . h k

SHOCK ME NOT How much do you really know about transgender issues? You may be shocked to discover how uninformed we are as a society. We spoke with three inspirational transgender role-models who openly shared their experiences and positivity with us.

Ashley Ashley is a 22 year old Korean artist and student based in Hong Kong, London and Glasgow. After spending his younger years feeling deeply misunderstood by his parents, he recently came out to his family and friends as a transgender man (i.e. female to male). He is now able to reflect upon those years with great maturity and a new found respect for his parents. He shared with us his experiences of being a young transgender man living internationally, and offered some insightful advice to other young people in the LGBT community.

Tell us about your coming out experience. I had a pretty dramatic childhood and spent a lot of time feeling scared. To start out, I thought that I was bisexual, but I knew I wasn’t interested in men. Then I thought that I was a lesbian – I just didn’t want to admit the fact that I knew I was different and that it wasn’t because of my sexual orientation. How do you feel about LGBT labels? I think it depends on the person, but I’ve always hated the labels lesbian, gay and trans. It’s funny how we feel the need to categorise ourselves to make people understand. It’s not like we’re saying we want to get married to a dog or a plant! We’re just loving another person. For me, labelling doesn’t matter, but if it helps people understand one another better, then I will explain that I’m trans. But I wouldn’t be comfortable if you called me ‘that trans person’. What triggered the confidence needed for you to come out as a transgender man? I wouldn’t call it confidence. It was out of necessity. I needed to come out in order to be happy. I needed people to know how

I felt. I could no longer live the way I was living without coming out. There were many difficulties before I came out, for example, physical problems such as using the public bathroom or swimming. But these problems will always be there. How did your parents react? It’s been 8 years since I first told them about anything and there have been ups and downs along the way. They used to say things like, “at least you could dress like a woman, that’d make things a lot easier for you”. But right now, they’re being very understanding. What advice would you give to other young people in the LGBT community who are struggling to come out? I’ve realised that when you’re a teenager, you’re too busy trying to understand yourself. When I look back on my teenage years, I just think, how could I have been so selfish? My parents needed time to understand. You have to talk to them to help them to understand, even if they are the most stubborn people in the world and react badly in the beginning. I didn’t realise that at the time. I was simply stating what I

COMMUNITY

“My mental process is complete and I know myself. I don’t think I’ve ever been surer in my life, but my physical process hasn’t started yet- and that’s the issue. I’m at that point where I have to grow a tremendous amount of patience for myself. I’m always looking forward to what’s going to happen in the future, rather than what’s happening right now. I wouldn’t say I’m at a very happy stage at the moment, but I’m a lot happier than I was before.”

was going through, but we never had a proper conversation. However, time has proved that they want to understand me and that they want to be able to help. Just remember your parents are human too, don’t push them out of your life. Do you think parents are often misinformed about the LGBT community? Yes. When parents first realise that their child is LGBT, they learn all of these things that aren’t true. If you really stand your ground and tell them everything you know about yourself, what your rights and beliefs are, then they will start to take interest, and in time they will ask questions about it. But if you just blurt your statement out, “Mum, I’m gay!”, and don’t try to have a conversation with them, then it’s unlikely that they’ll take an interest in finding out more information.

point in the process. That is the most annoying part. My mental process is complete and I know myself. I don’t think I’ve ever been surer in my life, but my physical process hasn’t started yet. There’s always that mismatch issue that transgender people go through, even when you’re young, if you’re a girl who likes boys’ clothes or doesn’t like playing with dolls. But the beginning process and the end product never meet - and that’s the issue. I’m at that point where I have to grow a tremendous amount of patience for myself. I’m always looking forward to what’s going to happen in the future, rather than what’s happening right now. I wouldn’t say I’m at a very happy stage at the moment, but I’m a lot happier than I was before.

Do you think parents’ attitudes vary across different Asian cultures? I think Hong Kong is a bit more ahead in terms of what people know about the LGBT community than in Korea. Cantonese people are more informed about it. In Korea, anything to do with sex, being gay, lesbian or a sexual minority is still taboo. In some cases in Korea, if you were to come out to your parents, they would take you to a psychiatrist to try to fix you. They would call a priest to exorcise you, and if that doesn’t work they would resort to using talismans.

How important is it to you that a physical transition happens? I didn’t think of it as being so important until two years ago. My state of mind was more important than my physical state. But as I am growing older, it is becoming a problem; I can’t even travel without feeling safe, without feeling like I am myself. I also don’t feel comfortable meeting new people. This restriction on daily activities is like ink in water - spreading into the different aspects of my life. For example, in Korea, you have to address someone who’s older than you with a specific pronoun depending on gender. The physical change would help me reorganise my social, personal and professional life.

Are you speaking from experience? Some of my friends have had cases where they’ve been taken to a psychiatrist, where the parents wanted to ‘fix’ their daughter or son. It’s heartbreaking to see your parents do such things. Having come out to your parents, do you feel you’ve moved forward? I think that’s the difference in being a transgender person: you’re always at some

In what way do you feel unsafe when you travel? You don’t know what kind of religious or social code you might be breaking by just being yourself. I would probably restrict myself from going to the Middle East. Actually, a lot of people think I am a gay boy. There was an incident in Thailand where a Western man came up to me and handed me 3000 Baht, asking me where the hostel was; he was quite

drunk. He grabbed my wrist and tried to take me away. Thankfully, there were quite a lot of police around the markets and he was taken elsewhere... How easy would it be to have your gender legally recognised as male? In Korea, it’s not that easy at all. They would need every documentation possible, health checks, doctor letters, proof of counselling, reports... Is it important for you to have this legal recognition? It isn’t the most important thing, but it would make a significant difference. On all my documentation it says ‘female’. So, for example, If I were to check into a hotel, they would be shocked and it would be embarrassing for me. There are instances where people try to be subtle with it, but then again you have instances where they don’t try to be subtle at all, such as at customs. If possible, they try to make it as obvious as possible: they call you separately, they go through all your stuff... – it has happened to me before. There was an incident at a UK airport where they had recently installed full-body scanners, which show what’s underneath your clothes. I went through customs, and as usual, the male officers helped the men and the female officers helped the women. I was asked to do the fullbody scan, and when the male customs officer saw the image on the scanner, he realised I was a transgender man and he was shocked. He apologized to me, which was nice of him, but it made it even more awkward. Afterwards, I saw him talking to the other officers about it. It was quite an unpleasant experience. Hopefully documentation could avoid that embarrassment. In the future, it would also be important to change my identification for mortgages and other legal documentation.

COMMUNITY

“My emotional process during my teenage years was more difficult because I was scared to look for information. I was in denial for quite a long time. I would advise others to talk to someone who knows about transgender issues or use the internet if you can’t find someone to talk to. The internet isn’t reliable for everything, but reading stories about other transgender people helped me. Don’t be quick to decide what’s best for you: read through other peoples’ experiences. ”

Do you think society is becoming more interested in transgender issues? I’m not too sure about that. Everyone basically knows that transgender people exist, whereas around 20 years ago, when the first transgender celebrity came out in Korea, people were shocked that it was even possible! Nowadays people are more aware, and it is portrayed more often in movies and in the media than we think. Recently, in a Korean soap opera, there was an episode where a male to female transgender person came out. The funny thing was that in the end, he had a big heartbreak, and decided to ‘turn straight’. They portrayed it as a ‘naive youngster’ type phase. Like many lesbian characters in TV and film who go back to men in the end… Exactly, being a lesbian was just a ‘sexual desire’. Yes, just a ‘fleeting fancy’! Or it’s supposed to portray deep friendship... But the fact that it is being portrayed means that people are more open towards the fact that LGBT people exist. I think it’s a step forward. What’s important to me, is for people to be aware of the fact that transgender people exist, and that it’s not an illness that can spread like a virus. They don’t have to agree with my beliefs, but it is important that they understand it’s not a sickness, a psychological problem or brain trauma! As long as they understand that, I’m happy with it.

What do you think are the biggest challenges for transgender people? When you’re younger, daily problems aren’t as big as the overall concept of accepting yourself. As time passes, you understand and accept yourself better. Then, the smaller, day to day problems come into your life and constantly remind you of the bigger problems you have, like a wave becoming a tsunami... How would you advise someone facing these challenges? Be patient. It’s not the end of your life if you can’t complete the process in five years. Going through the treatments, hormonal changes, surgery, counselling, documentation afterwards, that will take a long time. Don’t think that solving this problem in the next two or even five years would be the ultimate goal. Don’t think of your body afterwards an endproduct. Think of yourself right now, and how happy you can become every day as you get closer to your goal. Where can young transgender people find information and support? My emotional process during my teenage years was more difficult because I was scared to look for information. I was in denial for quite a long time, and I’ve only just recently gone to a clinic to consult a Psychosexual Counsellor. I would advise others to talk to someone who knows about transgender issues or use the internet if

you can’t find someone to talk to. The internet isn’t reliable for everything, but reading stories about other transgender people helped me. Don’t be quick to decide what’s best for you: read through other peoples’ experiences. Looking at images can give you a clearer idea of what actually happens, for example, knowing what a phalloplasty or a mastectomy is. Have you found support from family and friends? Yes, but I’ve always tried to deal with this on my own, which has caused me to express my frustration in unhealthy ways. This has been difficult for people around me. I should have spoken to them about what I was going through. My girlfriend has always supported me, she’s always been on my side and I’ll always be there for her. My sister also supports me; it helps a lot to have support from a family member. What is the most shocking experience you’ve ever had? Last year, I went to Berlin with some friends and we encountered a group of young boys who were around 10-12 years old. They followed us whilst verbally harassing us and demanding money. They only gave up when there were more people around. I still believed in the innocence of children so I was shocked by their rudeness and our inability to do anything about it – how can you physically defend yourself from a group of children?

Kitty Kitty had been a police officer with the Hong Kong Police for 11 years when she came out as a transgender woman (i.e. male to female) in 2009. Since then she has experienced intense family pressure and has had frustrating limitations imposed on her at work. But with her positive and empowering attitude, Kitty has turned this into an opportunity to help the LGBT community push for the much needed changes in Hong Kong’s legal system. Community Editor Josie Mitchell chats with “Kitty”, who asked to remain anonymous.

Tell us about your coming out experience. Initially, I was unsure of my direction. I was previously married to a woman, but it didn’t last long. In the same year as my divorce, my brother died in an accident, and life just felt really grey. I started to think about things that I wanted to do but couldn’t. I didn’t want to feel regret when I got older. So I thought seriously about this underlying feeling that my true gender identity was female. After I made the decision to transition, I consulted a Psychosexual Counsellor. There were emotional and physical changes that I wanted to happen. How did your colleagues and supervisors react? The whole process was very interesting. There are certain regulations and requirements for male officers in terms of their appearance, especially their hair. At the time that I started to transition, my hair was a little bit longer than was allowed. I was constantly being reprimanded by my supervisors and this made me very unhappy. If I wanted to pursue this road, it would only be a matter of time before I’d have to confront my supervisors. So I told my supervisors directly that I wanted to transition. Everybody was very surprised. What were your supervisors’ next steps? In the 170 years that the police force has existed, there hasn’t been any official policy or guidelines for transgender police officers. To my knowledge, there have been six transgender police officers, including myself. They treat us on a “case-by-case” basis, but this isn’t the right way to deal with it. I won’t be the last transgender police officer in the force, so I want to make a change; I want to do more to make the road easier for those who come after me. How are you planning to do this?

I regularly talk to my supervisors about the lack of policy, so that the issue is kept in the front of their minds. On one hand, they want to understand my case, and on the other hand, I want to keep them informed on how they can help, and what they can do to change and improve the system. How did your supervisors handle your specific case? They still don’t know how to handle my case and they don’t know how to face the media. They weren’t sure if they should officially recognise me as a male officer or a female officer. In Hong Kong you must have had sex reassignment surgery in order to change your ID, so I’m still legally registered as male. That’s why they are still stuck on this issue. Have you experienced any harassment in the workplace? I’m a very positive person and there are around thirty thousand people in the Hong Kong police force – there’s no way that I can satisfy everyone’s requirements. As long as they don’t do it in front of me and I don’t hear it or see it, I don’t mind. On the surface it seems that my supervisors understand my situation, but they are unsure of how to handle many issues, such as my placement within the force. Before coming out, I’ve always patrolled on a motorcycle, and when I initially came out, my supervisors continued to allow me to stay outside - but they had certain rules: I wasn’t allowed to deal with any issues that were affected by gender, such as searching a person. In that situation, they would find another officer to handle it. But when Apple Daily and Oriental Daily published stories about me, my supervisors became very sensitive and they didn’t want this exposure to continue. They forced me to switch to desk work. I was in the headlines for six days between the two papers. After Apple Daily published my story, Oriental

Daily followed on straight after, as if they were using my story to poach each other’s readers. It was very embarrassing for me. What was the story about? They were intrigued by a transgender police officer in the force. Apple Daily were secretly taking photos of me and following me to and from work. Although the report was not negative, the way they executed their reporting affected me and the way my supervisors dealt with the situation. It hindered my supervisors’ attitudes toward the progress of transgender issues in the workplace. How did that make you feel? I was very unhappy, it had a big impact on me personally and emotionally, plus I’ve always hated office work. As there is no official system to deal with us, when a situation arises, all they do is keep me concealed. I feel wronged because this is highly unfair on me. But it has motivated me to further push the police force to be more aware and focused on transgender issues. The problem isn’t that my supervisors are scared of letting me work outside, it’s the fact that they are scared by the attention from the press. How do you think they should have handled your case? They should have understood that the way you deal with a transgender person should not be based on their gender, but on their abilities as an employee. By putting us in positions which are not suited to our skills, they’re not only wasting an employee’s skills but also government resources. If it was a private organisation, they would never waste resources like that. I’ve received motorcycle, self-defence and emergency medical response training, but I’ve been stuck in the office for two years now. They’ve had many different excuses for keeping me behind a desk: when 13

COMMUNITY

“One of the reasons I feel less pressure from the Hong Kong Police Force is because they can’t fire me due to the fact that I’m classified as a disabled person. Under a very weird and wrong system in Hong Kong, I have been ‘diagnosed’ as having Gender Identity Disorder, which is classified as a mental illness. In Hong Kong, if you are a transgender person, you have to take on this status.“

my girlfriend was leaving Hong Kong to study abroad, they cited that I couldn’t go on patrol as the emotional stress of her departure would cause me to be ‘incapable’ of carrying a gun. The latest excuse is that my hair is too long and so I can’t wear the male uniform, yet at the same time they won’t give me the female uniform either. So without a uniform I cannot go on patrol. How do you think this problem can be solved? My supervisors have been putting this situation off by saying that I need to change my gender legally before they will discuss anything more. The problem is that I cannot go through with the required surgery because my family is not accepting of it. So it is on hold. How did your family react when you came out as a transgender woman? I would describe it as a natural disaster. Firstly, the conversation came up in an awkward way; my uncle had come to visit from China, and we were sitting on the peak tram when a girl sat opposite us asked me to take a photo for her, she mistook me for a woman and called me, “Miss”. This struck a nerve with my mother. Later that night, as we had been drinking and were very unhappy, the topic came up out of nowhere – so I just came out there and then. My parents opposed me very strongly and my father got aggressive, so my uncle tried to diffuse the situation and took me back to my home. Have your family become more understanding over time? Absolutely not. My biggest pressure comes from my family. Since my brother died and I’m now their only son, my parents don’t want me to have the operation because they want grandchildren. But that’s not what I want. Do you think the Hong Kong legal system does enough to protect transgender people? One of the reasons I feel less pressure from the Hong Kong Police Force is because they can’t fire me, due to the fact that I’m classified as a disabled person. Under a very weird and wrong system in Hong Kong, I have been ‘diagnosed’ as having Gender Identity Disorder, which is classified as a mental illness. In Hong Kong, if you are a transgender person, you have to take on this 14

status. How do you feel about being classified as having a mental illness? Due to this status I am entitled to free healthcare, such as hormone therapy, and I am protected by a non-discrimination law as a disabled person. However, I disagree strongly with being classified as disabled: everyone knows that I’m normal and that I just want to be a woman. This classification has a very negative impact on the transgender community, as it attacks our confidence. However, the only legal protection that we do have is under this unreasonable classification. That’s why I’ve been working with transgender organisations trying to push forward a new non-discrimination law that not only protects the transgender community, but also the rest of the LGBT community, without the classification of mental illness. How are you progressing with this new antidiscrimination law? We are still in the beginning stages as there has been a lot of external opposition from religious organisations such as The Society for Truth and Light. A few transgender organisations are starting an information centre, and in time we hope to be able to establish this LGBT antidiscrimination law. Tell us about the transgender groups in Hong Kong. There are a few organisations such as the Transgender Resource Centre (TGR) which is run by my friend, Joanne Leung. TGR helps on different levels; it creates a platform for people to speak up collectively to stand up to the government. Facing the government as an individual can be very painful, but with TGR’s platform, you have group support. On a second level, as a group with varied voices we can formulate a more comprehensive and concise agenda to present to the government. What motivated you to become an activist for LGBT rights? In 1986, I watched a documentary on RTHK about transgender people. I revisited this programme recently and was very affected by it, as I realised that not only has society not moved forward but it has actually moved backwards. Why have Hong Kong’s

attitudes toward the transgender community not improved since 1986? It’s because the previous generation didn’t provide a voice for transgender rights, and so there hasn’t been a motivation for change. Therefore, I want to be part of a voice that paves the way for future generations. What progress has been made so far? Two years ago, we began meetings with the Health Department to discuss sex reassignment operations and how to provide appropriate medical care for transgender patients. Our relationship with the Health Organisation has improved significantly. The one and only doctor in Hong Kong who is able to perform sex reassignment surgery will soon be retiring without a successor. From our meetings with the Health Department we have been promised that this operation will not be discontinued, and now they are actively looking for replacement doctors. What else needs to change? The current law only allows us to change our legal gender once we have undergone sex reassignment surgery. Before we can have this procedure, we must spend two years of ‘real-life’ experience as the gender we are transitioning to. During these two years, it can be particularly difficult to find work because the government doesn’t provide temporary ID to account for this transitional phase. To help make job-seeking easier, we are pushing the government to issue certificates of ‘LGBT friendly’ recognition to companies. What advice do you have for the LGBT community? I think more people need to speak up. We aren’t trying to achieve extra benefits but simply human rights and equality. I believe in team power. We are already a minority and so we should stick together as a community and push for our rights together. Hold your head up and be confident in who you are. What is the most shocking thing you’ve experienced? Since I came out, I thought I would be alone forever. Then by fate, at an LGBT barbecue, I met my girlfriend and found true love.

Joanne Joanne Leung is the face of transgender activism in Hong Kong and China. In addition to drawing the media’s attention to transgender rights, and sitting on the boards of a number of LGBT organisations, she is the founder and Chairperson of the Transgender Resource Centre (TGR). She managed to fit us into her packed schedule for a coffee and let us know all about TGR’s invaluable work within the transgender community.

What motivated you to start TGR? When I was transitioning, I asked for help from some transgender friends. But they didn’t want to help me. They were more concerned with their appearance. Every time we went out we only talked about makeup, dressing and wigs. They told that me I wasn’t qualified to be a transgender woman, and they saw me only as a cross-dresser. In Hong Kong, the community is split into cross-dressers and transgender people, and there is a lot of discrimination between the two groups. Transgender people see cross-dressers as men dressing up and fucking their girlfriends, whereas cross-dressers believe that transgender people think too much and aren’t good to their own bodies I want to break through this discrimination. I began as a cross-dresser but I realised that I was a transgender woman as I had a desire to change my body. I asked a lot of people about hormone treatments but nobody helped me. Then when I began to visit the sex clinic, I realised that there was a doctor’s letter I could carry so that I could go to a female bathroom. I then asked my friend what the content of this

letter was about and I was told that the doctor would just issue it. She didn’t tell me what was in the letter. Now I have some samples of this letter and if asked, I will send them to people. Realising that there were no transgender people willing to help, I made the promise to myself that if I can complete my surgery, I will stay in the community to help others. There are around 200-300 transsexual people in Hong Kong, why am I the first one to offer help? What are the biggest issues faced by transgender people in HK? It’s hard to say, but generally it’s discrimination. However, this is hard to prove. Most people won’t tell their employers that they are a transgender person. You can only prove discrimination if the employer fires you after you tell them that you are transgender. But there are stories from my friends where the employer was okay with their identities. A lot of transgender people say that they face a lot of discrimination, but that wasn’t the case for me. When my previous colleagues found out that I was a transgender woman, they said

things which made me feel embarrassed and asked me, “Why are you like that? In all other ways you’re normal, but why do you behave like that?” I spent years living with this situation, but in time they treated me quite well. I think that when something happens, you have to spend time to build relationships; it’s not fair for you to jump out and say that they’re discriminating against you. So in the workplace, I have heard a lot of stories of people negotiating with their bosses and HR with good outcomes. But I think the most serious issue is self-acceptance. I don’t think being a transgender person is so bad – I always say it’s a good thing: I understand women and I understand men my boss always says, “Joanne can do the ‘man things’ and the ‘woman things’”. But not everyone thinks like that. A lot of transgender people have problems with confidence. Even those who look happy have a lot of emotional problems. Over 60% of transgender people have attempted to commit suicide - so we launched a counseling service to tackle the problem. Although, I have invited people to take this service, they reject it by say15

COMMUNITY

“Recently, I was having dinner in a food court with my friends after a TGR gathering. A transgender woman was talking to a director who wanted to make a movie about her. There was a girl sat by them and when she stood up to leave, she left a message for my friend saying, ‘be yourself, be whoever you want to be, and keep on going’.”

ing that they’re okay and fine... So we have another approach: we have a few counselors who join our gatherings and we even have speech therapy sessions teaching them how to speak like a woman. In the next few years we want to establish a centre to give transgender people a place to get together and to see counsellors. I have a new project called, ‘Walk with Transgender’, where we invite people and students from churches and schools to participate. In each team there will be six to eight non-transgender people with one or two transgender people. Every month they will get together for movies, BBQs, etc. They will have to commit for a year and will also have some missions to accomplish. We hope this project will empower transgender people to be more confident; they are so isolated and often live in their own world. When I began our gatherings in 2011, I brought a lot of transgender people into the gatherings but through ‘Walk with Transgender’ they can also know a lot of non-LGBT people and be better connected with society. How does TGR help the transgender community? We have two main focuses: one is the transgender community, and the other is society. For the community we offer a lot of services, such as monthly gatherings. The transgender community rarely held events before TGR was formed. There were some non-regular gatherings, but they were only focused on appearance. So when I formed our gatherings, we focused on relationships and we have a different topic every month. We try to empower our members by giving them information and mental health guidance. We also have some makeup, dressing and funny things to balance it out. Sometimes we have a workshop to talk about psychological issues, where doctors come in to share information. The gatherings 16

also create a platform for newcomers, students or volunteers to join - this is the entry point to learn more about transgender people and transgender issues. Additionally, we offer support groups with professional social workers and we are trying to work out a parents’ support group. They really need support too. My friend told me that her father was not very accepting and he couldn’t understand her situation, and that he had just ignored it. So I asked how long ago she had told her father, it was only two months ago. It’s unfair on the father, you can’t be so harsh to your parents, you need to try to give them some support. Other services we offer include counseling, a hotline service, support for those who want to see doctors and an online outreach system where we can answer questions regarding transgender issues. For the wider society we do some education work and a lot of sharing with universities, organisations, professionals and social workers. I’m also a member of the Advisory Group on Eliminating Discrimination against Sexual Minorities (AGEDASM). We have meetings with stake holders and report our progress back to the government. I often have meetings with legislators, government officials and doctors. I’m involved with other LGBT organisations as well. For example, I’m the vice chairperson of the Pink Alliance. I always have a full schedule of meetings and work to be done at home - I don’t get enough sleep! What progress has TGR made so far? Among the transgender community in Hong Kong, I get the most media exposure. I do think that there is a lot of impact from the media, as people often come to ask me “are you Joanne?”. People are starting to realise that the acceptance of transgender people is improving. Being transgender right now is not that

difficult in terms of dealing with discrimination, but there are still a lot of transgender people who are scared to come out. In what ways have you seen an increased acceptance of transgender people? Thirty years ago, everybody knew that if you dressed up and people realised that you were a transgender person, you’d be in trouble – you may have been bullied or even beaten. But now in HK, there are a lot of positive stories: when the police ask for your ID and realise that you are a transgender person, it isn’t seen as an issue. On the street, some transgender people may not ‘pass’ convincingly as the gender that they are expressing. There’s some staring, but it’s just staring - nothing happens. Recently, I was having dinner in a food court with my friends after a TGR gathering. A transgender woman was talking to a director who wanted to make a movie about her. There was a girl sat by them and when she stood up to leave, she left a message for my friend saying, ‘be yourself, be whoever you want to be, and keep on going’. Another time, I was on the MTR with the same friend, and suddenly a man who was leaving the train came over to us. He said, “Excuse me, are you Joanne? Keep on going”. My friend was very happy to have witnessed this. What would you like to see happen next in HK for the transgender community? I hope there will be more transgender activists coming out to work for the community. I’ve come up with a project called ‘SuperTrans’. I want to hold some workshops with transgender people to help them see that one day they can also be like ‘Joanne’. It will be a programme to help them move forward step-by-step, how to come out to their family and the public, and how they can help their transgender friends. Hopefully one or two years later, TGR can ex-

PLUG HIGHLIGHT

Transgender Resource Centre www.tgr.org.hk

pand and grow to have more ‘SuperTrans’ in the organisation. I’m also working really hard on the Gender Recognition Ordinance (GRO), which allows transgender people to change their legal gender, and the government has already set up a cross department committee to look at how to legislate the ordinance. What do you want to achieve with the GRO? In the UK, the Gender Recognition Act (GRA) doesn’t require transgender people to have sex reassignment surgery in order to change their legal gender. However, in Hong Kong, sex reassignment surgery is a compulsory requirement if you wish to change your legal identity. This is difficult to deal with because in some cases, people don’t meet the criteria to complete the surgery. So we want to take this requirement out and follow the UK guidelines. I think this is quite difficult but we are putting a lot of effort into making it happen in HK.

And finally, what shocks you? I have tried to commit suicide 4 times before. I really felt that there was no way out. But now I really think that it’s so amazing that I can live so happily, and do what I’m doing now. I never would have imagined this would be the case. There are still a lot of difficulties, but I’m still here and I’m enjoying being a transgender woman. I always tell myself that I’m so lucky to be a transgender woman: if I was just a woman or a man, you wouldn’t want to interview me, right? I’m 50 now, there are still a lot of things that I want to explore. I’m trying to not only focus on transgender work; I want to go further. My thought is that transgender rights are part of LGBT rights, and LGBT rights are human rights. Therefore I want to contribute to human rights.

“The Transgender Resource Centre was established in 2008. With education as our main aim, we hope to provide information about the transgender community to everyone. We hope to help society develop a deeper understanding of the transgender community and of transgender issues. We aim to assist those in the community by informing them of their rights and by offering them support.” TGR Gender Care Hotline (+852) 8230 0838 Every Wednesday Night 8:00-11:00pm Except public holidays. If you, a family member or friend have questions about gender orientation or identity, please call our hotline. TGR Counselling Service If you have anything you want to share or seek advice for, contact counselling@tgr.org. hk to arrange a meeting with a transgender-friendly counsellor. All conversations are confidential.

“WHAT SHOCKS YOU?”

How expensive apartment rates are in HK. HK's visa sanctions against Filipino official and diplomat passport-holders. What’s next? A ban on Filipinos? When my colleagues wear sandals and socks to work. How some girls can burp like Homer Simpson during a date and while everyone else turns towards their table, her boyfriend carries on as if nothing happened. Stray dogs. How tempted I am to kiss a guy just because I have never kissed him before. How many people in HK walk slowly and without purpose. The horrific ways people misuse their power. That racial profiling still plays such a huge role in the gay dating scene and HK in general. Unrecognized talent going to waste. Seeing kids being brats to their parents in public, and then seeing the parents succumbing to the brattiness of their kids. The amount that people spend on the latest computer, cellphone, tablet, DSLR camera or any other gadget. Having the latest doesn't mean you are the best at something. It really depends on the user. How people still perpetuate microaggressions at this day and age: for different races, cultures, or gender. Fisting. Workplace bullying in Hong Kong. When I saw my friend's mom in her school uniform outside Times Square. Ugg boots. That an entire airplane could disappear out of the sky without a trace. The price of a decent concert ticket in Hong Kong! That Uganda of all countries has the third highest number of searches for ‘gay porn.’ The size of Russia’s balls. 19

SHOCK CULTURE The Breakdown of Heteronormativity

by Jason Kwan

The first display of public affection I encountered in Berlin was between two tall, self-contented, and dreamy looking men holding hands on the U-Bahn. Their presence stirred no commotion as they blended naturally into the hubbub of the crowd, muttering spells of German to each other over the soundtrack of the triangular underground bass. Being the tourist, I was completely unacquainted with Berlin’s social norms; it was an unexpected experience of culture shock, because this ordinariness of gay affection and acceptance would not be seen in the social framework I grew up in, namely Hong Kong. I became aware that I was seeing this scene of normalcy through heteronormative goggles. I started to consider the reactions which this sweet display of affection would provoke in Hong Kong: would the lovers shock the conservative social framework, or would the couple be shocked by the heteronormative environment that would greet them here? Using the concept of culture shock, I began to develop the idea of ‘shock culture’, where culture shock and cultural acceptance are reversed. Instead of us being shocked by a culture’s practices and then accepting it, we as the ‘tourists’ are bringing in new or different social norms into pre-existing social frameworks, challenging or disrupting social conventions. The ‘shock’ I’m describing is of disruption, not of surprise. The dominant cultural force in Hong Kong that requires ‘shock’ penetration is heteronormativity. Heteronormativity describes the process through which the belief that humans fall into two distinct gender categories, male or female, is reinforced in social contexts. These genders are assumed to exist as complementary roles, with each gender conforming to clear sexual boundaries and roles in society. Men are paired with women, and this heterosexist view actively resists and condemns any other pairings of sexualities. As my Korean transgender friend expressed, “...there’s a men’s bathroom and a women’s bathroom.”; although we are seemingly given choices by society regarding our identification with 20

gender, in actual fact a binary limitation has been set on our views on gender and sexuality. The invisibility and exclusion of alternative sexualities in society have allowed these limitations to be set, further reinforcing a heteronormative regime. Let’s take the example of my friend Cobalt who had grown up and spent his whole life in Hong Kong. All of the items he owned as a child were blue, with his toys consisting of miniature cars and building blocks. His upbringing was undeniably heterosexist: he was led to believe that there was only one ‘correct’ sexuality, and any other displays of sexuality were only deviations from heterosexuality. Irrespective of Cobalt’s sexuality, he had been instilled with ‘masculine’ expectations. The incessant questioning of, “Do you have a girlfriend yet?” haunted him, where the notion of a boyfriend was not even considered. Cobalt not only kept his sexuality to himself, but also conformed to the expectations that society had laid on him. He remained an invisible member of society and an unwitting supporter of heteronormativity. The ubiquity of heteronormativity in contemporary culture, arguably is due to the invisibility of homosexuality. Cobalt’s conformation to heteronormativity by failing to express his sexuality allows heterosexism to thrive. We are trapped in, as Adrienne Rich coined, ‘compulsive heterosexuality’, where by default everyone is assumed to be heterosexual. We are refusing to question this ordering of the world and are implicated in the enforcement of labels and boundaries on every aspect of sexuality. We are indirectly supporting this social framework by keeping our sexualities invisible and not acting against the restrictions which have been placed upon us.

Cobalt’s invisibility works on two levels: not only is his homosexuality invisible and suppressed in a heterosexist society, but heterosexuality and its given qualities are also invisible to him because he views society through heteronormative goggles. He is being affected by heteronormativity, but simultaneously he is also causing it. Cobalt has wrongly accepted heterosexuality as a cultural default. By this, I mean that Cobalt is unconsciously practicing heteronormativity in his everyday life; by not addressing his own sexuality and passively allowing heterosexual assumptions and expectations to be placed upon him, and then fulfilling them, he is inadvertently reinforcing the restrictive social framework which perceives sexuality only in one-dimension. The culture in which we now live has not only dismissed other sexualities, but has evolved to manipulate our invisibility to support and maintain its heteronormative dominance. Without an active attempt to break the imposed normalcy of heteronormativity, we are ensuring our exclusion from society.

Illustrations by Wayne Wong

What’s not so clear is how we can disrupt the dominance of heteronormativity. What can we do to oppose heteronormativity and encourage the free discussion and inclusion of all sexualities? We can start by breaking the silence and adding positive fuel to the conversation. Coming out is a difficult, but big step towards visibility; to have those who surround you know your sexuality allows them to understand and see your inherent normalcy in society. Helping reconceptualise misinformed views on homosexuality, for example, by challenging societal habits such as the derogative use of the word ‘gay’, or rejecting the heteronormative future expected from you, would begin a break down and disruption of heteronormative mindsets. By affecting and ‘shocking’ those around you, the ripple effect can begin. In Cobalt’s example, the incessant questioning of, “Do you have a girlfriend?”, which enforces heteronormative expectations, can be shocked by his honesty: “No, I’m not dating, but if I were, it would be with a boy.”

As a practice, shock culture is not limited to changing our behavior; instead, shock culture addresses the related, but far more difficult, task of reconceptualising sexuality and deconstructing the framework which disallows such conversations. The issue we should be focusing on is the invisibility of other sexualities and how we can integrate them equally into society. Only after recognising that we are practicing and maintaining a social structure that excludes certain sexualities, will we be able to understand how we can change this belief. Homosexuality isn’t shocking, it’s the heteronormative mindset that needs shocking and disrupting. Through shock culture, we can disrupt heteronormativity and allow all sexualities to become a part of the culture we live in. I’m not suggesting that you become an activist, I’m asking you to speak up for yourself and for the community; homosexuality cannot be seen as a social norm if we remain hidden and continue to endorse heteronormative expectations. We need to support each other in becoming visible and see the umbrella term ‘LGBT’ as a community and not as individual minority sexuality groups. Our fear of coming out is a direct result of heteronormativity, where the need to deny being heterosexual, because there is a heteronormative assumption that everyone is heterosexual by default, is necessary to express our true sexualities. By coming out, we can fracture heterosexism’s enforced invisibility and increase our visiblity as a community. When we have significant visibility we will be able to disrupt heteronormativity. Refuse to be unheard, refuse to be invisible, and in time, heterosexuality will not be seen as the default or the only sexuality; for future generations, hopefully there would be no default sexuality, and there would be no need for anyone to come out. Stand up for your peers and voice your beliefs on what culture you want to live in. Be unafraid to construct your own inclusive societal framework. As I rounded off my excursion in Berlin, somewhere in between flitting from the East Gallery to the Holocaust Memorial, I ended up at the fetchingly grotesque, yet wildly intimate PORK club. My heteronormative goggles were snatched away and discarded as I entered this dominion of neutrality. The veil of expectation was stripped away from my eyes and I felt no need to identify myself with anything. There were no assumptions made about my agenda or sexuality; I was simply allowed to dance.

COMMUNITY

Our Mr Gay HK rocking the cover of the Red Ribbon Awareness Calendar. 22

An Update from Mr Gay HK

SNOW MUCH FUN by Michael Morrill

I nearly died when I peeked over the edge of the platform at Superfly Ziplining base in Whistler, British Columbia. It flew me 1.2 kilometers at 100 km/h with nothing but a full-body harness, a few straps and a handle bar to prevent me from plummeting down into the ravine hundreds of feet below. I indulged in 4 full days of skiing, 6 full nights of parties, fireside après-ski nights with western Canada’s finest men and poutine! Who could ask for anything more? Needless to say, I had a fantastic time in Whistler with the MGHK crew. On top of that, I was fortunate to attend the Mr. Gay Canada competition and spend time with the current Mr. Gay World, Christopher Olwage from New Zealand. Traveling overseas has always been a time for selfintrospection—a time to step back and objectively look at my life in Hong Kong. It gives me the chance to regain perspective and focus on what’s important. Having been pushed out of my job because of my choice to disclose my HIV status, I have been through a recent rollercoaster of emotions. Despite this, I see no choice but to march steadily forward. Instead of focusing any bit of my energy thinking negatively, I am dedicating my attention to the awesome projects keeping my busy. Back in November, I opened my rooftop in Yau Ma Tei to a group of 8 refugees from various parts of Africa as well as several volunteers from the Hong Kong Internations Charity group that I preside

over through a project we call “Green Vision Hong Kong.” The purpose of the project is two-fold. Firstly, we offer estranged asylum-seekers the opportunity to re-establish a sense of community and belonging through gardening. Secondly, we provide expats in Hong Kong with the chance to get to know more about the status of asylum seekers here. Every Saturday from 11-1, we meet at my rooftop to water vegetables, sow new seeds, catch up and share stories in French and English. (The Pink Philanthropist on Facebook.) I am also happy to announce the opening of my own school in Prince Edward, the Rainbow Room Education Center. Rainbow Room is inclusive

of students of various educational and socioeconomic backgrounds. We offer a rich and wellrounded curriculum aimed at providing a taste of the International School experience to students coming from public schools. We also offer short and long term study abroad opportunities throughout New England and are the sole agent for antibullying software for schools in Hong Kong. (www. rainbowroomhk.com) To mix a little pleasure with work, I have been organizing two upcoming monthly events, Pink Tank every maiden Monday at Key Club and Prink Friday at le Dome de Cristal every final Friday of the month. (Mr. Gay Hong Kong on Facebook.)

I’m grateful for a fantastic trip to Canada and the opportunity to remember ‘No matter where you are in life, no matter how old you are, it is never too late to follow your dream.’

We can't thank you enough for coming to party with us and making the very first official PLUG Club party such a roaring success. A huge and special thanks to the PLUG team, the fantastic DJ's, our host XXX, and of course the sexiest, danciest, loveliest crowd. All of your beautiful support keeps PLUG chugging along, so stay with us! If you haven't already, follow and like our Facebook page to stay in touch with what's coming up next. In the meantime, check out our website and help spread the word about PLUG Magazine. Seriously, one more time, thank you thank you thank you thank you.

Bitch, Please Competition and community in gay Hong Kong

by Joseph Gualtieri

It was at IFC a few weeks ago. I was on my way home, heading toward the Exchange Place exit when I caught sight of him taking the escalator down. He and his friend were all suited up and looking unusually lawyerly; I think one of them may have even sported a jaunty pocket square. Probably headed to some fourteen course dinner or something. Anyway, we made eye contact just as he was alighting and I offered one of those hey-we-sorta-know-each-otherso-here's-a-little-wave-and-a-smile kind of gestures. That's when it revealed itself. The bitchface.

heightened, I became aware of its presence in even the most innocuous situations, all of which begs two questions: how did this tsunami of bitchiness come to wash over so many aspects of our subculture, and what are the effects of that inundation? Now, don’t get me wrong. I am not calling for the wholesale removal of bitchiness from our collective bag of tricks. There are some egos that need to be cut down to size, and in such cases bitchiness often proves itself a fine scalpel. Although bitchiness is not my social toxin of choice (I’m far more adept at asphyxiant awkwardness), I bow to no one when it comes to obnoxious behavior. So, just to be clear, I don’t mean to suggest that I am at all less bitchy than anyone else, nor that bitchiness has no place in gay culture. Rather, having looked at the corrosive effects of bitchiness in our lives, I’m calling for a reconsideration of what I see as an over reliance on bitchiness as a social tactic and an enumeration of the costs associated with such tactics.

Within a nanosecond his face had transformed from its fairly sunny mien into a deformed topography betraying a much darker interior. His skin tensed with recognition as the nose struck out like an unsheathed truncheon. Lips contorted into a silent sneer and the ears pulled back, ready for battle. The eyes sunk and all of the flesh of his face seemed to dissolve and then curdle, like knuckles on a fist, into an unbroken ridgeline of contempt. If this display didn't quite stop me in my tracks, it's only because it was gone as soon as it appeared; the lizard-like countenance skipped past me and I heard a small burst of laughter a few seconds later.

You could argue that this notion that we’re especially bitchy or that there’s something inherently wrong with bitchiness is a conservative, possibly heteronormative idea. You could say that being gay allows us to pick and choose which mainstream social conventions we want to embrace (like marriage) and which we want to reject (like homophobia) and that it’s an entirely reasonable choice to reject middle-class niceties like politeness and social decorum in favor of other, namely bitchy, modes of communication. You could also call this something like “keeping it real” or declining to be the kind of “safe” gays that straight people feel comfortable with. We are different, you might say, so let’s stop playing by others’ rules and let the bitch tap flow; that’s just how we are.

And while I was almost immobilized by this display of unbridled bitchiness, I cannot say I was shocked by it. Neither, I suspect, are you. After all, we all have bitchfaces and our own rules to govern their deployment. And, of course, we’ve all been on the receiving end of such displays. Yet, despite the apparent ordinariness of this little unspoken interaction, I found myself wondering how our community has reached a state of affairs whereby exchanges like these, carried out in public and among non-enemies, have become not only acceptable but also commonplace. Over the next few weeks, my sensitivity to bitchiness

This argument is strengthened by the ubiquity of bitchiness in the gay world; its abundance makes it virtually impossible to pin down. It’s almost impossible to walk into a bar in Hong Kong or elsewhere and not hear people (or imagine people) bitching about others, either fellow bar patrons, ex-boyfriends, friends, whatever. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has been bored to tears during a night of drinks where a friend pollutes everyone’s evening by bitching about this guy or that guy, his shirt or his waistline; likewise, I’m sure that I have driven others into paroxysms of frustration over my petty vanities.

questions of faith and religion as others groups. And, of course, we have advantages in any number of occupations as a result of our privileged insider/ outsider status. All of this is great and encouraging. After all, as outsiders ourselves, we all know what it’s like to be dismissed by homophobes who know one thing (or who merely think they know just one thing) about us and then decide that they know everything about us, our (non)value as individuals, our interests, our desires, etc. Like racism, homophobia functions by fixating the homophobe’s anxieties onto one aspect of a person or group and then allowing those anxieties (as well as the fears and resentment that such anxieties inevitably lead yield) to obliterate all individuality or evidence that would question the anxieties. To give an example,we might imagine that we have a friend named, let’s say, Michael the dentist who wears cowboy shirts, lives in Kwun Tong, argues with his brothers, has a thing for Dachshunds, and doesn’t like cheesecake. The homophobe doesn’t see this. He just sees a faggot, maybe not a faggot who needs to be punched in the face, but definitely a faggot he doesn’t want anywhere near him or his family.

And to those who would make these arguments against the creep of heteronormativity, I would not disagree. One of the best things about the gay community’s insider/outsider status is that we can look on society from outside while also working from within the effect of meaningful changes. Let’s not give that up, either when it comes to responding to the sudden availability of marriage or with our particular ways of relating to each other. There’s no reason to allow ourselves to become as boring and miserable as everyone else, all in the name of normality. Having said that, it’s essential that we take a critical look at what we’re doing with the freedom. If gay communities are free to write their own rules and, perhaps, function as a laboratory for other communities or the broader community in which we find ourselves, are we making the right choices when we contribute to a culture of bitchiness, wherein deviations from norms of our own are dismissed as transgressions and deserved to be bitched out? What I’m saying is that it’s not enough simply to say that we’re different and that’s that. Rather, it’s incumbent upon us to use this power not just to deviation from societal norms, but to actively improve upon them.

What’s homophobia got to do with bitchiness? Although the two are, in terms of impact and intention, markedly different, they share a similar nature and some overlapping effects. Bitchiness or what we might call (albeit somewhat preposterously) bitch thought shares a reductive structure with homophobia. In bitch thought, one identifies a particular quality one sees in another, assigns anxieties to that quality, and finally dismisses from the equation everything else about the other. These qualities can be anything, but they tend to revolve around a cluster of issues like body type, financial status, and, worryingly, race. Thus, any number of our queer brothers and sisters find themselves ostracized for the most arbitrary ‘reasons’. Just as Michael the dentist is reduced to one more faggot unworthy of anything but the homophobe’s scorn, the fat guy or the hairy guy or the guy who’s ‘too’ gay or the guy who’s not gay ‘enough’ or

In some ways, the answer is yes. Gay communities seem more open-minded on issues like gender equality and differing forms of relationships. We tend to be more open-minded about ‘alternative’ lifestyles in general, and as a whole, we’re not as hung up on

the working class guy or the guy who can’t afford [to] spend all night drinking vodka, all of these people and more may find themselves excluded. And even if they are somehow provisionally accepted, such acceptance often comes at a high price. Thus we see the ostracized guy with a good job purchasing his way into clique or, at the very least, the ostracized guy who remains with the circle only if he sticks to his place at the bottom of the totem pole. Anyone who, upon starting an innocent chat with a gay stranger, has been silenced by that bitch, please face that we’ve all become acquainted with, knows that they’re not so much being rejected as an individual but, rather, punished as a transgressor in the harsh light of unwritten, but nonetheless very real and enforceable, rules. The fetishization of certain bodily or other features goes far beyond the sense of any rational filter and deep into the realm of arbitrary, unbending exclusion. Thus, it seems to me that we find ourselves enacting the same conditions of exclusion within our community which we face in greater society. In other words, having been ostracized by society as a whole, instead of creating a new system whereby we don’t rely on knee-jerk reactions to pre-given standards of acceptability, we simply recreate the same arrangements within our community, creating a class of misfits both from the wider community as well as from a subculture in which they hold an important stake. We’re inflicting on ourselves the same wounds which we should be working together to heal. It makes sense to me that we would bitch about others; communal bitching and the establishment of a shared sense of suffering are key parts to any group. Who hasn’t bonded with their colleagues or classmates while bitching about their boss or their professor? This seems legit[itimate] in that the bitchiness functions by taking a set of challenges (however petty they may be) and forming a community empowered to overcome those challenges. Although this can be problematic when it leads to things like racism or other forms of

discrimination, communal bitching certainly has an important role to play in crafting a group identity. People of my generation and older have known what it feels like to be ostracized and perhaps bullied, and for many of us, sharing our experience with people who have undergone the same struggles can be a source of solidarity and strength. The problem, I think, is that this kind of gay bitchiness that I’m talking about, the kind where we see members of the in crowd—the stylish, the fit, the fabulous, whatever—looking down on or mocking the others, is that it takes the petty arbitrariness inherent to all bitching and goes nowhere with it; the pettiness of bitching becomes an end in and of itself. Whereas other forms of bitching may lead into unexpected connections, this kind of bitchiness can only fracture, and often on the flimsiest of grounds. Instead of creating a[n] interior space where disparate personalities and natures can unfold, we’re left with an inside that can be as dangerous as the outside. The bitchy schema fails us in that it privileges enmity over empathy, antagonism over solidarity; it also represents a communal failure to create better, more equitable social arrangements than the ones forced on us by external, often hostile forces. Although much progress has been made, internal striation may prove to be every bit as biting as societal censure. If properly deployed bitchiness creates an enclosure which allows productive difference, then internecine bitchiness creates competition within the community. And unlike other forms of competition, which can propel innovation or improve things for everyone, these are the kinds of competition that no one wins; yes, you can bitch about this guy’s shortcomings, but how does that benefit you? Competition and the resentment it breeds distract from the challenges we all face. Heedless competition and resentment are small rewards for a culture of obnoxious, self-directed bitchery.

QUEEROGRAPHY Interview by Josie Mitchell

Sway is the creator and photographer of Queerography, a new book of queer photography. The book features images of queer individuals in Hong Kong, Bangkok and Tokyo.

Hi Sway, tell us about yourself.

My name is Sara Way but my friends just started calling me Sway. I identify as a queer femme. I’m a self-taught photographer. I guess you could say I’m a late bloomer, I picked up a camera when I was 24 and I was back-packing through Europe. It was a way for me to express myself when I was going through some tough times. Then I came back and I took a lot of classes, interned with photographers and worked at a professional photo lab. I went through the school of hard knocks. What was the Queerography?

motivation

behind

Queerography explores gender and sexuality, the idea was to connect this global LGBT community. The more I travelled, the more I would reach out to people. I realised, yeah there are cultural differences between us but we’re also really similar. We have the same issues.

I encourage the people I photograph to contribute their ideas of how they want to be documented, how they want to show themselves or express themselves. It’s also a great way for them to channel whatever they have going on and start expressing it in an art form. That is really important for me. I want to create a connection between the viewer and the subject so that people who are not a part of the LGBT community can look at it and say “oh yeah I relate to that”, or people who are a part of the community can relate to it too. How would you define ‘queer’?

The term queer has been reclaimed in recent years to liberate and empower all free-thinking individuals who feel limited by society’s binary gender sexual standards. Queer culture unites all sexual orientations and gender identities with shared values of acceptance, open mindedness, mutual respect, and community. Whether you are lesbian, gay, bisex-

ual, transgender, intersex, polyamorous, a dragster, kinkster, fetishist, sex worker, or just unique in your own way, we are all queer!

Bangkok has an interesting history with trans culture, they have a way of accepting and being open to it.

Do you see this definition change from one city to another?

How did you get your subjects to open up?

The people I met in Hong Kong were much more receptive to allowing me to photograph them and to make some art together. They were fantastic people who were more publicly open about their sexuality, more embracing and more accepting.

What’s your next project?

In Tokyo, visual style is huge – self-expression, desires, interests are all taken to the next level. There’s a great eccentricity about Tokyo, which I loved and embraced so much. It is very specialized in niche fetishes. However, like in Hong Kong, they have family honour. So they live a double life, because they don’t want to disrespect their parents. They have their day life and they have their night life and they don’t intercept. It’s still really difficult to be out.

I like to meet people before we shoot because it’s important to me that we connect and that we’re comfortable. We have a conversation for an hour or two, I love hearing about people’s stories and I get really excited. I think because of that, people feel more relaxed. I share my own stories with them too. I wear my heart on my sleeve. I’m not just photographing them, I want these people to feel like friends.

I want to do a project where I’m creating images that empower women to embrace their sexuality. That’ll be the next Queerography. It will start in the US and then I’ll come to Asia, it’ll just keep growing.

If you could photograph anybody living or dead, who would it be?

I love Robert Maplethorpe. He’s a really seedy photographer from the 60’s and 70’s. He did a lot of gay photography in San Francisco. I love how he exposed his sexuality to the world at a time when it wasn’t so prominent and so visual. What’s the most shocking thing you’ve ever seen?

In Tokyo, I met a guy who sets up scenes with life sized plastic dolls, he ties them up and then he photographs himself having sex with them. I totally loved it, it was shocking but amazing. Queerography is available to buy at www.queerography.org

Culture 39 Stage Songs for Children 44 Film Top 5 Shocking Films 48 Style In the Closet of... 50 Art Marc Standing 54 Food Snap, Crackle & Pop 58 Photo Eternal Adoration 64 Travel March of the Mumbaikars 70 Fashion Ian Waller 76 Sex XXXWord Puzzle

Songs for Children Interview by Liam Greenall PLUG Magazine caught up with Songs for Children, Hong Kong’s totally independent music promoters, in the mayhem of them bringing over Washed Out and Baths to play for the city’s cool kids and those seeking the best in new indie music. Run by the dynamic and dandy duo, Jane and Mike, Songs for Children live by their motto ‘DO IT YOUR FUCKING SELF OR DIE! What started out as an indie night, and let’s face it Hong Kong was and still is in need of them, Songs for Children has grown to bring us some of the best bands from places far and wide. We can’t wait to see what they have in store for us this year.

Congrats on the Washed Out and Baths gig! A few of the PLUG team went along and loved it. If people ask us what Songs of Children is what should we tell them?

From The Drums to Dinosaur Jr., you’ve brought some of the best new indie bands over the years. What’s the process for choosing which artists you want to approach?

That we are a totally independent indie music and club promoter and that we bring bands to Asia that aren’t shit.

Mike Oh I like these guys! Think we could put them on in HK

Let’s face it, there’s been some shit bands over year. And who wants to pay $800 to see last rejects? It’s been so refreshing to see Songs for developing and bringing great bands to the city. you get started?

instead. Mike OK!

the past decades Children How did

Mike Jane wanted to go out dancing but there were no indie

nights, so she started an indie night. Then Jane wanted to see some bands, but there were no indie band, so she started bringing bands over.

Jane Mike wanted to do visuals and fanny around with projectors, cables, mixers... What was the inspiration behind your name?

Songs For Children is the first EP by Glasgow indie band The Pastels. They started in the 80s and always had a very counterculture DIY punk ethic. It also reflects both our immaturity and that we like music.

and not lose too much money?

Jane Not a fucking chance, I’m going to put THESE guys on

So Jane wears the trousers? Love it! So, once they agree to perform in Hong Kong what happens next?

We perform an extraordinary rendition on all the band members in the middle of the night. They are then flown to our secure holding facility in a neutral 3rd country where they are held in isolation until the time of the gig. Then they are transported by speedboat to Hong Kong. Haha! It sounds very rock and roll and not your typical Hong Kong set up. What’s your opinion of the music scene here?

Hong Kong has a music scene? Tell me more! Where? We LOVE music!

SONGS FOR CHILDREN

It is sad that the city doesn’t have more of an indie scene, especially when it comes to live gigs. How do you see your role within Hong Kong’s scene evolving?

airport. The most camp arrival? Baths! He sprinted to the nearest Starbucks to get a pink passionate fruit tea.

We need REVOLUTION not evolution.

What do you have planned for the next few months?

How do most of the bands you get over react to Hong Kong? What do they think about it?

They’ve been slow to confirm, but we hope Hong Kong will dive at the chance to see them…

Most of the artists really like Hong Kong and really appreciate the fans, I think they like the ‘dirty pretty’ aspect, it feels a bit more real and gritty than the some of other Asian cities.

Who?

What’s the most shocking thing you’ve seen an artist do in Hong Kong? Carl Barat’s manager getting bitten by a sea snake on Lamma. He almost died! The most shockingly rock and roll arrival were The Jesus and Mary Chain. They arrived drinking beer and then having a massive fight at the

(silence and cunning smiles from both Jane and Mike. PLUG Magazine tried to tease it out of them, but they’re keeping their lips firmly sealed. We don’t blame them, we just have to wait and see.) I’m sure all will be revealed on their Facebook page. So go and check them out: www.facebook.com/indiehk

QUICK FIRE ROUND We’re at the bar what drink do we get you? Mike An obscure craft beer I’ve never

seen before, ideally heavily-hopped. Or the cheapest whiskey they have. Jane Veuve Clicquot! iTunes gift card. What should we purchase?

Joanna Gruesome, The Spook School, Parakeet and La Sera A rare Sunday off. What will you do?

Sleep, X-Box and Lamma linner (a meal in between lunch and dinner)

We’re at the bookstore, what should we read? Mike Espedair Street by Iain Banks. Then

everything else ever written by Iain Banks, then everything written by Iain M Banks. Jane Alan McGee’s Creation Stories: Riots, Raves and Running a Label and Bob Stanley’s Yeah, Yeah, Yeah:The Story of Modern Pop. When we say SHOCK, you say

FUCK YOU!

PLUG's

Top 5 Shocking Films By Sean Broadhurst

Films can be known for lots of things. For their jokes, their surprise endings, their awards, their boobs, lots of things. But let's face it, none of that is as interesting to talk about as CONTROVERSY. Movies that cause controversy, outrage and some good old-fashioned titillation are always endlessly fascinating. Both for how they make us feel and for how they make society react. So to celebrate our Shock issue, we decided to compile a list of the most shocking films. In making this list, we decided to avoid the most obvious movies or the ones that are just gross-out gore-fests and just focus on movies that were SHOCKING, but also important to cinema and, above all things, actually interesting to watch. Because no one actually wants to just sit through 100 minutes of grisly gore (or maybe you do, we're not here to judge). So, without further ado, here is PLUG's top 5 shocking films.

1 Salo, or the 120 days of Sodom OK. Let’s get this one out of the way first. I know we promised not to have anything too obvious. But this list just wouldn’t be complete without it. The big daddy of controversial and shocking movies. A movie so shocking that some believe it is what led to the director’s murder before the film was even released. It’s been banned in countries all over the world and was quite difficult to actually get your hands on until Criterion released it as part of their collection. It’s one of those movies whose reputation precedes it, and actually sitting down to watch it can be quite a daunting experience. But what most articles about this movie fail to mention is that it is actually a very interesting and very captivating film. Pasolini is a truly gifted director and he makes sure that every incredibly uncomfortable sex scene is beautifully framed and artfully shot. The story itself, about 4 corrupt men who kidnap a bunch of young boys and girls to help fulfill their sexual fantasies, has a very important and viscerally delivered message about power and its abuses (especially Italian fascism). It also features 3 absolutely fantastic ladies delivering terrifying monologues about their sexual depravity over top of a delightful piano melody. It’s definitely a movie that needs to be seen to be believed (and, most of all, understood)

2 In the Realm of the Senses Another shocker from the 70s, though this one is more steeped in lust and obsession than torture and depravity. Nagisa Oshima’s famous tribute to the all-consuming power of passion was so controversial at the time that the raw footage had to be smuggled out of Japan and developed in France. The film focuses on the relationship between a former prostitute and a hotel owner in 1930s Tokyo as their sexual desires and indulgences grow more and more intense until it climaxes (literally) in an act of grotesque violence that I won’t spoil here. This movie is also notable for being the first Japanese film to show an erect penis. People have derided the film as being mere pornography (while technically accurate, since some of the scenes feature unsimulated sexual acts), but the (true) story and masterful direction by Oshima elevate it into a powerful tale of the madness, obsession and morbidity of our own sexuality (which, as a concept, is a total boner-killer, so it’s obviously not porn).

3 The Devils Surprise, surprise, another shocking movie from the 70s. Ken Russell’s The Devils is pretty much sheer lunacy from start to finish. Elaborate set pieces, bizarre costumes, absurd plot developments and naked devil-possessed nuns make for a pretty hectic and shocking 117 minutes. Based on Aldous Huxley’s The Devils of Loudon, The Devils tells the story of Father Grandier and Sister Jeanne, the nun who is sexually obsessed with him and seeks to ruin his life. In some ways, it’s a bit like In the Realm of the Senses minus the poetry, beauty and artfulness and replaced with demonic possession and just your plain old general insanity. After discovering that Grandier has not been entirely chaste, Sister Jeanne accuses him of witchcraft, and in the mass hysteria that ensues, all of the nuns eventually end up believing they are possessed by the devil. A witch hunter is brought in to make sense of the situation, but it devolves even further into madness through a series or bizarre religious inquests and hidden identities. Oh yeah, and it’s based on a true story. So have fun.

4 Amphetamine Now it’s time for some local home-brewed gay controversy. This next film comes from Hong Kong-based director SCUD and tells the story of a straight man who finds himself falling in love with a gay man and the drug addiction that comes between them. Though not actually shocking in and of itself, especially in regards to the other films on this list, the shocking part comes from the Hong Kong TV and Entertainment Authority’s demands for some of the scenes depicting a male rape scene to be cut. What makes this especially shocking is that the film was already allowed to be shown in its entirety at the Hong Kong International Film Festival. SCUD wrote a public letter to then Chief Executive, Donald Tsang, addressing what he claimed were Hong Kong’s censorship standards moving backwards, and in protest, blackened out the offending scenes but kept the audio in. So, while not really that shocking, we would be amiss to not include Hong Kong’s mildly controversial “shocking” gay film in our list.

5 The Seventh Continent The last film on our list is also relatively less shocking compared to its predecessors, but there should be at least ONE film on the list that isn’t just shocking because of it’s graphic sexual content. This debut feature from Michael Haneke, a director who is himself no stranger to shocking cinema, tells the story of a disaffected family who struggle to find satisfaction and meaning in their lives. The camerawork is just as disconnected from the characters as they are from their own lives; we don’t even see their faces for the first 30 minutes. The movie is told in three parts, with the first two depicting the family’s growing despair and alienation. It doesn’t get especially shocking until the third part where the family decides to systematically and monotonously destroy every possession they have. The family’s remove from the destruction they are committing is particularly upsetting, but also particularly exciting for anyone who’s wondered what it be like to take a sledgehammer TO EVERYTHING THEY OWN. Mirrors, dishes and even fishtanks; nothing is safe in this movie. But, if you finish this movie and find it wasn’t graphically shocking enough, you can always throw on David Lynch’s Blue Velvet, as that will definitely satisfy your need for shock.

FILM

In the closet of...

WHO Raul Franco WHAT Managing Editor, Idem Magazine WHERE Shanghai, China

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bow ties are essential in an outfit. I choose every morning a bow tie from my collection, depending what mood moves me that day, from there I know what style to wear.â&#x20AC;? 48

Style

WHO Rex Lu WHAT Fashion Buyer WHERE Hong Kong

“My closet is like a book. Each piece of clothing has a story to tell.”

Marc Standing By Timothy Loo and John Gil

We visited Marc in his Chai Wan studio to discuss his latest show, The Mystics, and ended up having a great chat about his artistic process, experimenting with rice, and how to tackle the question, ‘Where are you from?’ He gladly walked us through his most recent paintings and showed us his inspiration wall, an almost mystical blend of mixed-media experiments and found objects.

TL: Why did you title your show ‘The Mystics’?

For ‘The Mystics’, in a lot of the work there’s this idea of faces, blurred faces and masks, even though they’re not always physical masks. When I was looking at the work as a whole, there was a really mystical, magical feel to it when it all came together so I thought ‘The Mystics’ sums up a lot of this inspiration. It’s the idea of storytelling, imagination, fantasy, and using the natural world. JG: Coming from Latin America there’s a great blend of cultures, we have a big influence from African culture. When you were explaining mysticism,

it felt like home to me. For example, in the Caribbean they have Santeria and it’s still very vibrant. And that’s why I think mysticism is a really good word for this, so on point.

It’s nice that its something that rings true to people from so many places. I was born in Zimbabwe and I lived there until I was about 21, so I’ve always been interested in reconnecting to my African heritage and African traditions. Even in Zimbabwe there were different churches that would be really Christian but there was traditional African religion that was still part of it, a great spiritual mixture. I’m not religious but I find religion really intriguing. When I moved to Australia I really missed all

of that. I studied in South Africa, then I went back to Zim, and then I ended up in Europe for a couple of years and then I went to Australia. I thought in a way going to Australia in the southern hemisphere that it would be easy to integrate but there was a completely different mentality. TL: What’s your artistic process like?

I’ve always done paintings and collages just to get ideas flowing. When I originally did some of the work in my sketchbooks I never intended to really show it, which is quite exciting with ‘The Mystics’ because I’m getting to show some work that’s always been in my studio. This is more personal stuff that I make and what comes

about when you’re getting your ideas together and starting to form a body of work, so I think it will be really interesting for people to see that. TL: It’s almost a miniretrospective. JG: The greatest hits! TL: How has moving to Hong Kong influenced you artistically?

There has been a big shift in my work over the years. I came here because my partner had been relocated and it was a great opportunity. I’d never really thought about Hong Kong, I’d never visited, it was never on my radar. As soon as I came I loved it, I knew I could stay and spend time here. Personally, there was also definitely a change of mood. I was using a lot of faces and figures in darker colors before I moved. A lot of my old work just wouldn’t have gone down here. It’s a little too spooky and a little too scary. So it’s been really inspiring for me to come here and be influenced by Asian colors. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting to show work here, I just thought I would carry on making. Obviously the direction I want as a professional artist is to reach Chinese collectors and sell internationally. So this inspired me to take figures out and start

using a lot of the birds and use body organs instead of actual faces. Even though that’s not really feng shui either. TL: The colors are pretty. When I first saw your work, my initial thought was ‘Oh bright colors, birds, its pretty, its happy!’ but it’s not really.

It’s creepy. You look twice. Part of the point of doing these paintings that were really full on was the idea of getting people to engage with the work and then start seeing things that aren’t what they seem. JG: I see a lot of birds and wings and feathers, any special reason? What draws you to them?

I’ve always used bird imagery in a lot of my work. Even in my early work there were birds appearing in my paintings. In a lot of cultures, they are these creatures that connect the spiritual world with the earthly world and I always thought they could sort of be like a go-between with our ancestors. There’s a lot of mythology to them, they’re often seen as omens. People put a lot of superstition behind them.

TL: What about the layering? Did that start in HK?

I’ve always loved playing with collage and the idea of layering is referenced in my paintings as well. When I moved here, I started painting differently because I started in a new direction. I would start by creating textures on the canvas first. Traditionally you would start with a blank white canvas, but now I’ve started creating textures first, like using rice in the paint. There’s something quite fitting about using rice in Asia! I create textures first and then figure out the imagery and where I can place it, taking it slowly and then starting to build it up. TL: The texture looks molecular.

I like the idea that it’s almost like looking in a petri dish. And then it’s got that feeling of our bodies and what’s inside us- germs and disease. TL: I love this. I love seeing the process of it.

I used to have a studio in Sydney but the majority of my work is done here now. I’ve had this space in Chai Wan for two years now. I used to have one in Central, but it was probably the size of this rug. Now I’ve got a really great area and space because I like to collect a lot of different images and things. When I travel I like to collect, especially old etchings. JG: You’ve said before you often explore the issue of identity.

I think it relates to having been born in Africa and being a white African. And then leaving. When I went to Europe, even though my dad’s English and I have the passport, I certainly didn’t feel European. Moving to Australia I also didn’t feel Australian. And now I’m in Hong Kong! You move around and you start questioning what makes someone who they are and how they identify themselves. It’s also about where you locate home. Is it where your family is? Is it where your friends are, is it where you were born? Is it where you are now? Is it where you feel most comfortable? And in this climate of globalization and

multiculturalism and everyone moving around the whole time, I’ve found these to be really interesting questions to ask. I think even if you find yourself in a certain place, there will always be things from your childhood and your family and experience that will always filter through and they’ll always be part of you. I think it’s about questioning what actually makes you who you are. TL: I completely resonate with that. Growing up in Hong Kong you question what’s influenced you and how subtle it can be. You reach a certain age and you start thinking what does all of that mean?

I think we’ve all been there when people ask, ‘Where are you from?’ And you try your best to answer. 52

JG: Is there anything about Hong Kong that shocks you?

No. I’ve seen it all! (laughs) Maybe it’s shocking that it doesn’t shock me. I love this city; I think it’s a really incredible spontaneous city. There’s a great buzz here, there’s a good attitude and people still know how to have fun. Oh, I do find it shocking that for such a great city they still don’t recognize same-sex marriage. But I think it’s a change that also has to start from the local gay community. For expats, its easy for the government to just say, ‘Oh no, we don’t recognize that here.’ But it does make it really difficult. I’m not sure how much of an issue it is with the gay community in Hong

Kong, it doesn’t seem high up on the agenda. Having said all that though, even in Australia its not been legalized yet. My partner and I had to get married in the UK. It would’ve been too difficult to even try in Australia. TL: And the most pressing question for last, how was meeting Kylie Minogue?

something really personal. She was really taken by it and she really loved it. It was so cool and she was really, really lovely. But it’s that sort of thing where it’s like ‘What do I say?’ I was pretty nervous! TL: That would be an amazing gift! Way better than fancy chopsticks.

It was really cool but it was very quick! It was only like 15 minutes. My partner works in events, they do the Sydney fireworks and she was their ambassador that year. She came to Hong Kong and didn’t know she was going to get the painting but the events company wanted to give her 53

SNAP, CRACKLE & POP

by Liam Greenall

An A-Z of shockingly strange but equally tempting ingredients to infuse in a cocktail.

Who doesn’t love a cocktail? Your favourite tipple mixed with an array of sweet fruits or an equal blend of sours. They are the perfect solution to end the working week and to welcome in the weekend. But what’s that strange thing at the bottom your martini glass? A quail egg? It can’t be! It’s not just your ordinary quail egg, it’s a pickled quail egg, and trust me, it makes all the difference being pickled. A quail egg seems pretty strange being in a cocktail, right? The PLUG Team have been investigating other intriguing ingredients you wouldn’t usually find in a cocktail. We dare you to try some, because we have, and our tastebuds have been snapping, crackling and popping ever since. Go on, be a cocktail daredevil!

A traditional dry gin martini will have an olive or two that fuses with the gin and vermouth. Stuff the olives with garlic cloves. Surprisingly the vermouth and garlic work well together. By stuffing the olive the martini still has that olive flavour, too. Perfect for halloween and keeping the vampires at bay.

GARLIC

Let’s keep this simple. Dip the rim of a glass in Fizz Wizz and pour in vodka and pineapple juice (or any other juice that takes your fancy). Let the crackling commence, you big kid.

FIZZ WIZZ (or any other popping candy)

Sounds simple enough to use in a cocktail, right? But when you use it as a froth on top of a brandy, orange bitter and absinthe mix, simple just got a whole lot more complicated. If it all gets a little too much revert back to tried-and-tested eggnog.

EGG WHITES

Mustard, you either love it or hate it. But what happens when you shake and strain half a teaspoon of it with rum, simple syrup and lemon juice over a glass of crushed ice? We’re not going to tell you. Go and make it yourself and find out.

DIJON MUSTARD

Planning a day at the funfair? Take a bottle of dark rum in your bag and head over to the candy floss stall. A shot of the dark stuff followed by a handful of candy floss is a perfect combination for the fun and frolics.

CANDY FLOSS

With every shot of tequila comes a dash of salt and slice of lemon. With every shot of vanilla infused vodka should come a pinch of black pepper. Drink it quick, and gulp it fast. No slice of lemon required!

BLACK PEPPER

Not just any asparagus spears, but pickled white asparagus spears. The actual spear heads are great to garnish a cocktail, but it’s the brine of the pickled white asparagus that you want. This, combined with gin and vermouth makes the perfectly concocted dirty gin martini.

ASPARAGUS SPEARS

Nori is edible seaweed. It is commonly used as a wrap for sushi or used to garnish noodles in Japanese cuisine. Now you can try adding it as a layer at the bottom of a glass filled with ice and your favourite vodka. Simple as a sea breeze!

NORI

You need a flaming hot campfire for this one. Melt a marshmallow, dip it in a glass of Baileys and then pop it your mouth. Melted heaven you have to try more than once!

MARSHMALLOWS

A few drops of lavender oil on your pillow at night will help you fall into a deep sleep, but what about using the actual flower bud in a cocktail? Crush up a few of the buds and shake it in a glass of ice with rum, blueberries, mulberries and thinly sliced rhubarb and you’ve got the essence of summer in a glass. Enjoy!

LAVENDER

Kombucha is fermented tea. Mix it with a bottle of sparkling wine, apple juice and a few twists of lemon and your party punch is all ready to go. We suggest you buy ready made kombucha, brewing your own can lead to contamination and your party guests don’t want that, do they?

KOMBUCHA

Jelly shots filled with vodka? There’s nothing strange about that… But give your guest a bit more of the shock factor by adding crackling candy to the mix, or a few Skittles, or a really sour candy. This is a perfect excuse for you to a trip to the candy shop. Just don’t let the kids know they’re for vodka shots. We don’t want to be giving them ideas, do we?

JELLY

We’re going to keep this quick… Drop a double shot of bacardi into a beer mug of Irish stout and chug immediately. Phew!

IRISH STOUT

Some like it hot, some like it sizzling and then there are those who are chilli mad. What happens when you take the olive out of a classic martini cocktail and replace it with a habanero chili pepper? A wee kick of spicy hotness is what you get, but please don’t eat the chili afterwards because you will be set on fire.

HABANERO CHILLIES

food

Vodka and anti-aging in the same sentence? You’re having a laugh! We’re not! Turmeric is great for brightening the skin and is bursting with antioxidants. Add a large tablespoon to a glass of tomato juice, which is also great for balancing out the skin’s PH, with a dash or 5 of your favourite vodka. You’ll be looking like Cher in no time!

TURMERIC

Mix with a healthy serving of tequila and a swirl of syrup. Confuse your tastebuds with the saltiness of the squid and sweetness of the syrup. This is not for the faint hearted.

SQUID INK

Place a handful of rocket leaves in a tall glass with coconut juice, lime juice, blended passion fruit and a dash of vodka. It looks like a cool science experiment you did in high-school, minus the vodka… Or maybe the vodka!

ROCKET SALAD LEAVES

Your egg should be preferably pickled. Add it to a martini glass and slowly pour a vodka over it. It may look demure, but wait until it cracks the crevices of your taste buds.

QUAIL EGG

A few scoops of vanilla ice-cream, bourbon and a large spoonful of peanut butter. Blend it all together and your milkshake will bring all the boys to the yard, and they’re like it’s better than yours…

PEANUT BUTTER

Stop crying your eyes out, we’re talking about the spring kind, so no peeling off the layers required. This cocktail is an overload of onions that will tantalize the toughest of taste buds. Add gin, thinly sliced spring onions, lime juice, simple syrup and to give it that extra kick add a few tablespoons of pickling liquid reserved from pickled onions. Garnish with a pickled pearl onion.

ONIONS

Orange, lemon, lime. Whatever takes your fancy. Remove the zest from your favourite citrus fruit and layer it in a glass with crushed ice and your favourite spirit. Let that zest zap your senses!

ZEST

Sounds terrible, tastes delicious with a capital D. Just when we thought we couldn’t get any more shocking with a cocktail this one curried along...gin, pineapple chunks, Greek yogurt, fresh lemon juice and curry powder for the rim. We suggest that you pop a few popadoms in the over for a truly authentic experience.

YOGURT

There were too many options for X. Xanthareel, xylocarp, xantham gum, ximenia and not forgetting the ever-popular xigua. But we decided on ‘Xtra. Xtra vodka, xtra gin, xtra Bacardi, xtra tequila… Yes we took out the E from extra, but who needs an E when you can have an X?

Combine wasabi paste with your favourite vodka, lemon juice and a drizzle of syrup. Give it a good stir. We suggest that you sit down down to drink this one. It’s one hell of a horse kick!

WASABI

Travel back in your time machine to the 1800s and feast your eyes on vinegar being mixed with alcohol in your local tavern. Come back to 2014 and mix your bourbon with sugar, apple bitters and balsamic vinegar. Your timelord duties have been served!

VINEGAR

‘U.G.L.I you ain’t got no alibi, you ugli! Hey! Hey! You ugli.’ sang Miss Cranberry to Miss Ugli. ‘Keep the taunts for the playground, bitch!’ expressed Miss Ugli in defense, ‘just because you get to flirt with Mr. Vodka most nights doesn’t mean I can’t too’. And so she did! They were a match made in heaven and everybody lived happily ever after.

UGLI FRUIT

Eternal Adoration Antoni d’Esterre Darby Dowman

How would you describe your work? What I do varies enormously depending on my mood and what or where I shoot, but generally my style bounces between modern and graphic to more intimate and emotive. What inspires you to create? I get easily excited about anything in design, architecture, fashion. Or that’s overtly kitsch or camp. How do you approach the people/ subject matter you use in your photography? Gingerly, or with a big lens. What is the process? I shoot mainly when I travel, so it’s very much about going to strange or unexpected places. What do you find exciting about the process?

I love the sense of freedom you get when you travel, and when you are there, seeing how you can capture a random moment and turn it into something beautiful or interesting or that tells a story. Who inspires you? Those who stand up for what they believe in spite of the naysayers and the odds. You live and work in Hong Kong*, what keeps you in the city? I’ve lived in Hong Kong for almost 20 years. I love the duality of the city, it’s a car crash of the traditional and the modern, rich and poor, Chinese and Western, old world meets the future. It creates an interesting energy. What’s the most shocking thing your eyes have witnessed? Experiencing 660 index pollution in Shanghai. I gave up smoking for this.

eternal

adoration

March of the Mumbaikars Words and Photos by Sean Broadhurst

When I say the numbers, “377,” what do you think about? Area code? Those numbers on the back of your credit card? The amount of money left in your bank account? Well, in India, these numbers can mean only one thing. Section 377. The law that turns members of the LGBT community into criminals.

It reads as: 377. Unnatural offences. Whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal, shall be punished with 1[ imprisonment for life], or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine. Explanation. Penetration is sufficient to constitute the carnal intercourse necessary to the offence described in this section. Enacted in 1860 by the British colonists (Thanks, guys!), the law was actually ruled unconstitutional by the High Court of Delhi in 2009 and was no longer an issue. However, in December 2013 the law was overturned by the Supreme Court making it, once again, a crime to commit acts “against the order of nature.” Though, this technically would include heterosexual oral and anal sex, its primary aim is to prevent homosexuality. It is worth noting that 377 is the same law that extended to most British colonies, including Hong Kong. Though it was decriminalized here in 1991, the code still remains

active in countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, and, as of December, India. India, it should be mentioned, is the world’s largest democracy with a population of over a billion. With a population that huge, how many people are actually penalized under the code? “No one really gets charged, it’s just a measure put in place to shame us,” said one young man we spoke with, “unlike the west where it is a culture based on guilt, ours is a culture based on shame.” And it’s true. No one has been arrested for the past 20 years, but the penal code is used to bully and harass the LGBT community. In 2010, a professor at a university was pushed to suicide after a sting operation revealed footage of him engaging in homosexual intercourse. Who’s to say what the climate will be like now that the code has been put into effect once more. Two months after the ruling, Mumbai threw its 7th annual Queer Azaadi March (the official name for Mumbai’s pride

parade) and PLUG was on the scene to find out more about the city’s fight for equality. The march, organized by Queer Azaadi Mumbai (Azaadi meaning ‘freedom’ in Hindi) began at August Kranti Maidan, a place which holds symbolic meaning for Indians as it is the site where Gandhi delivered his Quit India speech in 1942. Though it got off to an inauspicious start at 3 PM with a banner of rainbow balloons, a fence covered in protest signs and a few people milling about, by 4 it is estimated that around 5000 people were gathered for the march. The crowd was a refreshing mix of young and old, with

neither demographic claiming the majority. Gay, straight, male, female; there was also a sizable amount of Hijra, the term for transexual, transgender or third-gender people. There were several uniformed cops and many onlookers, though none seemed particularly bothered by the day’s agenda. Many people had travelled from nearby towns to attend the event as well as several tourists from outside India. Though it was refreshing to see the variety of people in attendance, many people chose to wear masks and bandanas to conceal their identities.

“It’s such a taboo and such an unknown taboo, that we don’t talk about it,” said Nish, a filmmaker who was in attendance shooting a film about gay rights. “We have a long way to go, but it is changing.”

The general consensus amongst the crowd was that it’s more a case of “homoignorance” than homophobia.

So what do other people think about homosexuality?

people don’t. Who am I to tell them what to do?” said Gufram, one of our more open-minded taxi drivers.

“It’s 50/50. Half of them know that [the law] is wrong and it’s important for people to have these rights, the other half just laugh at us,” said one young man.

“It’s not really any of my business. Some people like to eat spicy food, some

The march lasted about an hour as the congregation made their way from August Kranti Maidan down to Chowpatty beach. And then there came the after party. It was at a restaurant/bar not too far from the beach. Though not regularly a gay venue, the management and staff certainly had no qualms about letting their Pflags fly. When we arrived at around ten the party was well under way. The overall atmosphere not unlike a high school dance. From the makeshift venue with the velvet covered tables and balloons to the DJ booth set up in the corner to the empty plastic cups littered around the place. At first glance, people seem hesitant to approach one another. You can overhear snippets of conversation, “Hello, I am (screenname), we spoke on Planetromeo,” which leads to some tentative dancing, an exploring hand ventures its way onto someone else’s hips. But, unlike most school dances, it isn’t long before the shyness wears off and the party truly begins. By midnight, the club was hopping, and I mean, literally hopping. Unlike the usual shuffles, head bobs and hands up that you find at clubs, these people were literally throwing their bodies around and jumping up and down. At one point, three men emerged in the centre of the dance floor and began doing a synchronized dance to a

Bollywood number, within minutes, it expanded into a group of at least 30 people all performing the dance together in perfect synchronicity. The energy in the room was uncontrollable, aided, no doubt, by the 100 rupee cocktails on special (about 12 Hong Kong dollars). So, if the after party was this much fun, what is the gay scene in general like in India? The answers were mixed. “The gay scene in Mumbai is completely non-existent or in the closet,” said Nish. One person claimed that gay life, for him, was a lot of trouble. “Many people in India are gay, but they don’t show themselves.” Especially on gay dating apps (Planet Romeo being the most popular in India), people are most likely to use fake names and fake photos to contact people. Locals say that many people meet through plain, old word of mouth. “I think there is a lot of networking in the gay community. I know some gay friends, I introduce them to you. You know some, you introduce them to me. That sort of thing.” As troubling as it all sounds, events like the march and the afterparty provide a glimmer of hope for the long journey ahead. If you want to find out more about gay life and events in India you can visit www.humsafar.org and www.bombaydost.co.in, the website for India’s first gay magazine. You can also check out Queer Azaadi Mumbai’s page at queerazaadi.wordpress. com.

DYSMORPHIA Designer/Art direction : Ian James Waller Photographer: Rory Van Millingen Model: Harvey James @ AMCK models

My work is focused around the possible manifestations of the varying stages of Dysmorphia, focusing on the traits which contribute to the disease Proteus Syndrome. Each piece expresses a different element of the disease and as a whole collection form its entirety. Each element of the making process is documented and relayed to the viewer through a bespoke scent which is created by combining all the key smells I came across throughout the making process, working with a perfumer on scent extraction and relation. Materials: lamb skin, goat skin, glass, ebony wood, scent

FASHION

DYSMORPHIA

XXXword Puzzle Across 1

Highly feminine lesbian who shops in MAC.

Turning a dominant into a submissive or vice-versa.

San Franciscoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s famous BDSM and leather street fair?

Aer Lingus to include a cunning lip service.

Request other to take a pew upon one's visage. (3, 2, 2, 4)

Sexual intercourse that is short in duration.

Be careful not to cut yourself when engaging in this manoeuvre.

Down

The lesbian that voiced Ms. Frizzle? (4,6)

Attach, as a tool belt (5, 2)

Plain, ordinary or boring sexual activities.

Official name of the banjo string.

Someone who is sexually attracted to or aroused by trees?

An app for grizzly bears?

Japanese animation depicting graphic sexual scenes.

Offensive term used to refer to the vaginaâ&#x20AC;Ś Or your boss.

More than two and lots of goo.

5 6

7 8

9 10 11 12

EVENTS

The 38th Hong Kong International Film Festival 24 March to 7 April 2014 www.hkiff.org.hk Screening over 330 titles from more than 50 countries in 11 major cultural venues across the territory, the Hong Kong International Film Festival is one of Asia’s most reputable film events. A must-attend for film buffs! Art Basel 15-18 May 2014 Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre www.artbasel.com With half of the participating galleries coming from Asia and Asia-Pacific, Art Basel in Hong Kong assumes a significant role in the international art world, providing a portal to the region’s artists. The show gives galleries from around the world a platform in Asia to demonstrate the way they work with artists, and bring their highest quality work to Hong Kong.

RESOURCES

outdoor atmosphere with your friends. Picnics encouraged! There will be 28 performances over 17 days, with all the shows created by the artists of Hong Kong. Forget the boring Shakespeare you were exposed to in high school. This is a festival that aims to be accessible, affordable and entertaining. Gina Jones - Southern Brights Until 5th April Cat Street Gallery, Sheung Wan www.catstreetgallery.com The last time Gina Jones exhibited at the Cat Street Gallery, back in 2010, her works in LED caused quite a stir in the HK art scene. Her current works, in the exhibition Southern Brights, she explores reflective coatings and technology rich vinyl adhesives to create shockingly good optical illusions. Treat your eyes to this sensory overload!

WEDNESGAY NIGHTS PINK DOT Hong Kong 2014 Sunday 15 June, 2014 Tamar Park From 3pm Pink Dot Hong Kong is a casual nonpolitical outdoor event for families, friends, colleagues of LGBT to express their love and support for equality. This support will be symbolised by a forming human Pink Dot during the day and at night. Les Peches - The Lounge First Tuesday of the month Propaganda (LG/F 1 Hollywood Road Central) Event brought to you by Les Peches, Hong Kong’s premier events for lesbians, bisexual/queer women and their friends. Shakespeare in the Port 17 April to 14th May Cyberport, Hong Kong www.hongkongshakes.com Hong Kong’s first outdoor theatre festival dedicated to promoting the work of the Enjoy theatre in a relaxed,

It’s become a staple of the midweek gay calendar and ever more popular as more locations join in the free vodka frenzy. Newest on the scene is PLAY, which pulls a packed crowd thanks to shirtless bartenders and a crowd-magnet of a strippers pole. VOLUME BEAT LINQ PLAY

9-10pm 9-10pm 10-11pm

Let us know if you have any events you’d like to plug or resources you’d like to share.

Double Happiness doublehappiness.lgbt@gmail.com The first organisation in Hong Kong to actively campaign for the legal recognition of samesex couples’ relationships and marriage equality. Transgender Resource Center www.tgr.org.hk We hope to help society develop a deeper understanding of the transgender community and of transgender issues. TGR Gender Care Hotline (+852) 8230 0838 Every Wednesday Night 8:00-11:00pm Except public holidays. If you, a family member or friend has questions about gender orientation or identity, please call our hotline. TGR Counselling Service If you have anything you want to share or seek advice for, contact counselling@tgr.org. hk to arrange a meeting with a transgender-friendly counsellor. All conversations are confidential. AIDS Concern 852 2394 6677 Yau Ma Tei Health Service Clinic Unit 602, 6/F King Centre 23-29 Dundas Street, Yau Ma Tei AIDS Concern offers free HIV and syphilis antibody rapid tests, alongside gonorrhea and chlamydia testing. Les Peches www.facebook.com/groups/ lespeches Organisation founded by Abby and Betty. Hong Kong’s premier events for lesbians, bi/queer women and their friends. Amnesty International www.amnesty.org.hk

Dear artists, designers writers photographers models interns handsome gay types straight guys that drink gangsters with boats party people lovers and whiskey, LETâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S COLLABORATE. We are always looking for fresh talent. If you are interested in contributing, collaborating, or being featured in PLUG Magazine, we like you already. Introduce yourself by sending a message to content@plug-magazine.com