Hong Kong NGOs for sexual minorities suffer government funding cuts and pressure

The government has no explanation on the funding cut

Originally published on Global Voices

This report was originally written by Irene Chan and published in Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP) on August 18, 2024. An edited version is published below as part of a content partnership agreement.

The party was in full swing at 11 pm. Carrying a large bag of leaflets, Kit entered a gay bar in Hong Kong’s Sheung Wan, manoeuvred through the crowd of people drinking and socialising, and handed out free packs, each containing a condom, lubricant and an information card about preventing HIV.

“Thank you! These free condoms are quite popular,” a bartender said as they cheerfully welcomed Kit.

But Kit, a worker with the NGO Gay Harmony who only offered his first name, was on his last outreach mission.

“The government has cut funding for us. I will have to look for a new job,” he said as he bid farewell to the bartender.

Founded in 2009, Gay Harmony serves the gay community with advocacy for equal rights and supportive services such as HIV tests. It began the year with four full-time staff but suffered a series of setbacks in the first six months of 2024.

In February, a grant it had long received from a government fund was reduced by around 30 percent. Separately, in June, the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau (CMAB), which has provided financial support to Gay Harmony from its Equal Opportunities (Sexual Orientation) Funding Scheme since 2015, rejected the group’s grant applications for three projects.

CMAB’s funding scheme was established in 1998 to promote understanding of various sexual orientations as an alternative to appeals for legislation against discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Francis Tang, the founder of Gay Harmony, has now laid off staff and moved to a smaller office.

While Tang was still trying to understand the reason for the funding cuts, a public event organised by the group, a Pride Month Bazaar scheduled in a shopping mall in late June, was cancelled by authorities, citing a lack of the proper licences. The sudden cancellation cost the group over HKD 80,000 (USD 10,260) it had spent on decorating 20 booths and printing booklets.

Gay Harmony’s problems are not unique. Two other groups for sexual minorities told HKFP they had faced cuts in government funding this year and experienced more pressure when reaching out for foreign funding or trying to host public events.

In a city where civil society has been hard hit since the enactment of the Beijing-imposed national security law in 2020, groups serving marginalised communities are carefully assessing the Hong Kong government’s stance on sexual minorities.

“I don’t think the government is targeting sexual minorities, but we’re definitely not what the government wants to support. The trend has always been like this. Still, we were treated a bit more equally before,” Tang told HKFP in Cantonese.

‘Severely demoralised’

Hong Kong’s LGBTQ+ groups have always had limited resources. Judy Kan, executive director of Her Fund, which promotes gender equality, told HKFP that while the city has seen more and more sexual minority organisations, most remained in volunteer services, unable to afford full-time staff.

Pride Lab is one of them. Kenn Chan, who founded the group in 2013, told HKFP in late July that it had relied on CMAB’s scheme to provide public education.

For five years, the group successfully applied to the scheme and was granted tens of thousands of Hong Kong dollars each year.

It was not enough to cover manpower or administration expenses, but volunteers of the group managed to produce a photo book and a documentary to share stories of sexual minorities, and give talks to NGOs and government departments to raise awareness about gender diversity.

“We thought this kind of public education was in line with the government’s vision. This year, we applied for grants for two projects — a human library with real stories and another for delivering talks about gender awareness — but they failed,” Chan said in Cantonese.

“There were no comments or feedback [from the government]. Is it because we’re not doing well? We will never know,” Chan said. There is no channel for LGBTQ+ groups to meet the bureau.

“We were severely demoralised… how can we continue to carry on with our work?”

Following surveys conducted in 1995 and 1996, the government found “it would be premature to adopt a legislative approach in the area of sexual orientation,” according to an official document. Instead, it sought to enhance “public understanding and acceptance” of sexual minorities, which saw the establishment of the CMAB scheme in 1998.

To date, Hong Kong has no law protecting sexual minorities from discrimination.

From 2018 to 2023, the CMAB scheme granted funding to between 18 and 24 groups annually, with a total budget of over HKD 1 million (about USD 128,000) per year.

But for the 2024–2025 fiscal year, its budget dropped sharply from HKD 1.349 million to HKD 698,000, with the number of recipients reduced to 10, according to CMAB’s website.

Apart from funding cuts, LGBTQ+ groups have also questioned why the government allocated money to groups deemed hostile to the gay community.

According to CMAB’s funding list, groups, including the New Creation Association, Post Gay Alliance, and the Hong Kong Psychosexual Education Association, have been receiving grants since 2014.

In 2023, HKFP reported that the three groups, which were founded by the same person, offered therapy to change the sexual orientation of homosexual people, a process known as conversion therapy, which critics say can cause psychological harm.

The trio are among the ten groups to receive grants under the CMAB scheme for 2024–2025.

“It made me upset knowing that these anti-gay groups were still receiving funding as the total fund is cut,” Chan said.

A shift in resource allocation

Gay Harmony’s three applications for grants were rejected by the CMAB in June, even though it had been receiving annual grant aid since 2015.

“We were curious about the considerations of the scheme’s committee members. Some of the projects they funded are not actually promoting gender equality,” Tang said.

A five-member committee assesses applications for grants. One is a secretary from the CMAB, while the others are a doctor, a youth social worker, a pro-establishment businesswoman, and a barrister who has actively promoted the national security law.

Since the 2024–2025 scheme, the CMAB has introduced a new condition for applications, stating that any applicant who “has engaged, is engaging, or is reasonably believed to have engaged in any acts that endanger national security” will not be considered.

The CMAB did not answer questions from HKFP concerning funding reductions, the funding for groups that provide conversion therapy, or the profile of committee members.

The bureau said the committee, whose members were from diverse backgrounds, assessed applications based on projects’ “content, feasibility, budgetary considerations, anticipated number of beneficiaries, and applicants’ experience and management capability.” It said it would not comment on specific applications.

The Aids Trust Fund (ATF) under the Health Bureau, another main resource for NGOs serving the gay community, has also cut funding. Every year, the ATF provides groups with hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong dollars to cover manpower and administration expenditures.

Benjamin, a worker from a local NGO serving men who have sex with men and who asked to use a pseudonym, told HKFP the annual grant offered by the ATF for 2024–2025 was significantly less.

“We have been receiving grants from ATF for around seven years. It used to support us with a budget for 3.5 headcounts, but this year, it suddenly cut to two,” Benjamin said in Cantonese. “We’re not unique. Many other NGOs encountered such a funding reduction from ATF.”

“While the budget for personnel was cut, indicators of our work remained the same, meaning we have to follow the same number of cases and provide the same level of services,” Benjamin said. “Many groups have filed complaints to ATF about our heavy burden, but it’s futile.”

Established in 1993, ATF provides services for HIV-infected people and public education about HIV and AIDS. Over the past 28 years, the government has injected a total of HKD 700 million into the fund, with the latest injection of money in 2013.

The fund allocated tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars in total to around 10 NGOs each year. As of March 2023, there was HKD 54.3 million remaining in its account. However, the city’s health chief has not yet asked the legislature for more funds.

The Health Department did not respond to HKFP's inquiries as to how much of the fund has been allocated to NGOs for the current fiscal year. It did note that thanks to the collaborative efforts of the government and NGOs, Hong Kong has seen a “significant decline” in the number of HIV Infection cases.

Hong Kong’s HIV infection cases peaked in 2015 with 725 cases. Last year, the city recorded 397 HIV cases and 101 cases of AIDS, an increase compared to the previous two years.

“The Government will continue the efforts in HIV/AIDS control and prevention and will keep in view the operation and financial situation of the Fund,” the department said in a response on Friday.

Benjamin said the government should maintain resources for NGOs to keep up the same level of services for HIV prevention. “Now we have made some achievement. It doesn’t mean we don’t need to carry on our efforts, right?”

Gay Harmony founder Tang said the government had changed its views on funding.

“Authorities are changing their model of resource allocation, with less money spent on social services,” Tang said. “And they played with drones, had firework performances… If we put all these [funds] into social services, then our projects would not be cut.”

Hong Kong announced in the latest budget that it was allocating around HKD 1.1 billion to “soft sell” the city to visitors, including monthly drone and firework shows.

The changing stand of the EOC

Apart from funding, local sexual minority groups have sensed a change in the official stance towards them.

Top officials rarely talk directly about sexual minorities, meaning that the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) was considered an indicator of their attitude, Chan told HKFP.

Tang said it was a tradition for the EOC chairman to attend LGBTQ-inclusive events to show support or concern. In late May, Gay Harmony invited EOC representatives to attend its Pride Month Bazaar but was rejected.

According to an emailed reply seen by HKFP, the EOC said its job was to implement the four ordinances against discrimination based on disability, gender, race and family status, and it was “not suitable” to be involved in activities linked to possible legislation on sexual orientation.

Tang said the response had surprised him. Over the past 10 years, the EOC had been pushing for legislation banning discrimination based on sexual orientation. In July 2021, then-chairperson Rick Chu said he hoped to conduct a public consultation on such legislation in the near future.

However, the consultation is yet to come. In April, the EOC new chairperson Linda Lam said she would study how to protect the rights of sexual minorities “within the current four ordinances.”

In response to HKFP’s questions, the EOC said its statutory role was to enforce the four existing anti-discrimination ordinances. It did not reply to questions concerning possible new legislation.

Legislator Doreen Kong told HKFP she thought the government was not currently interested in implementing legislation banning discrimination due to sexual orientation.

“It’s difficult for now — the government in this term did not have the determination to push [legislation], I think. To some degree, it seems like a touchy subject for the government, ” Kong said in Cantonese.

Nevertheless, she said the government should clarify why the ATF and CMAB cut funding and should keep NGOs better informed.

“The government should not think that without support, then sexual minorities will not exist anymore — sexual orientation is natural born and can’t be changed,” Kong said.

Even if the government did not support sexual minorities, it should not suppress them, she said. “We should take the stance of respect, not discrimination.”

‘We don’t know how to assess the risks’

By mid-August, Gay Harmony had moved to a smaller office and laid off two full-time staff. Despite these difficulties, Tang did not seek help from any legislators or district councillors.

“The ones we used to communicate with are all gone,” he said, adding that the group previously talked to pro-democracy lawmakers such as “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-Hung, Raymond Chan and Fernando Cheung, who had fought for equal rights for the LGBTQ+ community.

While Cheung has left Hong Kong, Leung and Chan are in custody awaiting sentencing after being convicted of subversion in a national security case involving 47 democrats.

Along with a crackdown on the pro-democracy camp and civil society, Hong Kong’s sexual minorities say it is harder for their voices to be heard, and organising public events is riskier. Hong Kong’s Pride Parade, an assembly and march to celebrate inclusion since 2008, has been held as an indoor market since 2021.

Tang speculated that the Pride Month Bazaar was called off because its scheduled opening day was close to July 1, the anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover to China.

An event organiser in the LGBTQ+ community who asked to be anonymous for security reasons told HKFP there were many risks in hosting a public activity.

“You can’t choose any day in early June — which is the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown. Nor late June, which is close to July 1. You can’t take early October either, which is the National Day of China. Furthermore, we need to avoid any day close to any elections,” they said.

“And to avoid any linkage with politics, we will not invite any consular staff whom we used to invite. And no government officers or EOC representatives either.”

There are also many risks in reaching out for foreign funding. A worker with another LGBTQ+ group told HKFP that after the Beijing-imposed national security law, the group had stopped applying for any foreign funding. It previously received grants from consulates in Hong Kong. Groups who receive foreign aid in Hong Kong are placed under intensive scrutiny and could potentially be detained.

“We had internal discussions and agreed that we should not take the money as the risks were too high,” said the worker, who also asked not to be named.

Like many groups serving the LGBTQ+ community, Pride Lab currently relies on grants from Her Fund. Judy Kan, the fund’s executive director, said local sexual minority groups had difficulties in fundraising.

“We’re trying our best to support more groups, but as a civil fund, we also need to do our own fundraising,” Kan said. Grants for LGBTQ+ groups are limited all over Asia. While there are more available in Western countries, these grants, even if seen as “safe” to apply for, might not consider Hong Kong eligible since it is viewed as rich and developed, Kan added.

Pride Lab’s Chan said the group was eager to secure some “safe grants.”

“We always wanted to have grants from CMAB because it’s from the government, and it’s safe,” Chan said. “The social atmosphere in recent years made us think that even if we qualify for some grants, do we dare to apply? Will it be linked to ‘foreign forces’? Frankly speaking, we don’t know how to assess the risks.”

Written by Hong Kong Free Press