PRIDE: Speaking a Connected Tongue - Tracing the love and lives of 3 generations of Hong Kong lesbians
In Hong Kong, as we stroll through the streets and alleys, we often see the presence of lesbians: sometimes they are stylish women with unique gender expressions, and sometimes they are lesbian couples. Lesbians are often more visible in public spaces than gay men. Yet, paradoxically, they are also seen as relatively invisible: severe attacks against lesbians are rare in Hong Kong, and there are no laws or policies specifically addressing lesbian issues, nor are there health services focused on lesbians. Lesbians in Hong Kong exist in this state of being both visible and invisible, throughout the city's spaces and history.
From women born between the late 1930s and late 1950s, who experienced the peak of the lesbian social scene in Causeway Bay during the 2000s, to the post-80s generation raised during the internet transition era, to today's continuous online and offline interactions and the shift from "lesbian" identity to "queer"— how have they forged their own lifestyles in this city amidst the dynamics of gender, sexual orientation, and the broader social environment? How do we begin to narrate the unique stories of lesbian experiences and community history? On the occasion of the publication of "Speaking a Connected Tongue: An Oral History of Older Lesbians in Hong Kong" and the release of the film "From Now On", Dr. Sonia Wong has invited the two authors of the book, Dr. Denise Tang and independent journalist Yan Ng. From Dr. Denise Tang's 2011 work "Conditional Spaces: Hong Kong Lesbian Desires and Everyday Life" to the oral histories in "Speaking a Connected Tongue", two generations of scholars and authors specializing in local lesbian studies will gather to discuss the living conditions of three generations of lesbians in Hong Kong.