Cathay Pacific advert showing same-sex couple holding hands and the reaction by Hong Kong Airport Authority and MTR operator shows how city lags behind on LGBT rights
- The debacle is an indictment of deep-rooted homophobia in the city, which must move forward by following Taiwan in recognising gay marriage
The controversy surrounding Cathay Pacific’s new advert of a same-sex couple holding hands is a sad reminder that homophobia remains rife and deep-rooted in not only the corporate world, but Hong Kong society in general.
The alleged rejection by Airport Authority and MTR Corporation to run the controversial ad with the tagline “Move Beyond Labels” is just the tip of the iceberg regarding sexual prejudice and stigma in our society.
Soon after Cathay Pacific launched its Move Beyond ad campaign in early May, the Family School SODO (Sexual Orientation Discrimination Ordinance) Concern Group, a local body firmly against same-sex couples, said it would boycott the airline and stop using its services.
The MTR Corp and airport authority might have been heavily criticised for their homophobic sentiments, but sadly they probably won’t be the last body to demonstrate such prejudice.
While we applaud Cathay Pacific for their new ad campaign to promote diversity and inclusiveness, with some even praising the airline for being bold and progressive – especially in this part of the world – we must not forget Hong Kong is still very much behind in many areas regarding LGBT rights in both public and private sectors.
The city does not recognise same-sex marriages and it only decriminalised gay sex in 1991; these are but a drop in the ocean among many other LGBT-related issues.
Furthermore, the alleged rejection to run the ad at the airport and in the MTR does not just expose homophobia on a corporate level, but on a deeper societal level.
This has exhibited a fundamental problem that such prejudice and ignorance are allowed to fester without accountability in these huge organisations, which are two of the best-known home brands in Hong Kong.
These prejudicial behaviours exist because society allows and tolerates them. The MTR Corp even tried to reduce their accountability by shifting the blame onto their ad agency, which was just following guidelines set down by none other than the MTR Corp itself.
In this day and age, it is unbelievable how a big corporation is allowed to get away with such blatant disregard of universal values, such as gender equality and a base level of respect.
According to JCDecaux, a major ad agency that handled the ads, MTR Corp told them that ads deemed immoral or offend the generally accepted standards of public decency or the social or cultural standards of the society, would and should not be allowed.
Furthermore, ads that may in any way cause discomfort, fear, distress, embarrassment, or distaste to the public should also be rejected.
The subway system makes billions of dollars by moving millions of people from a wide spectrum of society every year.
They, on one hand, have no problem taking money from straight, gay, bisexual, and transsexual passengers, but on the other hand will feel offended by their sexual orientations, which are intrinsically the private business of the passengers themselves.
In this day and age, it is unbelievable how a big corporation is allowed to get away with such blatant disregard of universal values
And I cannot imagine how the private business of these passengers could cause strong discomfort, fear, distress, embarrassment, and distaste to the company, especially simply by seeing two men hold hands.
Would the MTR Corp feel the same discomfort and distress in accepting money in the form of fares from these passengers?
No matter what they have said in their tacit apology, which came in the form of a clarification statement that said: “…MTR Corporation is unequivocally committed to equal opportunities in all aspects of its business and supports diversity.
“It does not tolerate any form of discrimination on the grounds of race, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation, family status or any other factor.”
Hong Kong people need to be bold and progressive like Taiwan, which recently recognised same-sex marriage. The least we should and can do is to bestow the same respect to people with different sexual orientations.
Like the flagship airline features their brand purpose in its latest Move Beyond campaign, we should advance beyond our conventional boundaries or comfort zones to embrace differences and diversity and allow everyone the space and support to be themselves so that they can be their best and give their best in life.
Now turn this moment to start a new journey together so that we can connect with one another despite differences and create pluralistic communities that do not allow any underlying assumptions to foster feelings of prejudice.
The biggest changes start from the smallest ones. This means that if we, as a society, show tolerance – nay, acceptance and understanding – to individuals and pairings outside heteronormative conventions, then it will send a clear message to close-minded corporations.
Spread this message far and wide, make it loud and clear, and stand up to everyday intolerance.
If society is to change its mindset and experience a much-needed paradigm shift, then the change must come from its individuals, including you. It begins with tolerance, but ultimately, the goal is acceptance.
This ethos is simple enough to remember and it is certainly an easy enough mandate to follow: “We accept all, and we discriminate against none.”
Luisa Tam is a correspondent at the Post
