null
Human Rights Are My Pride -- Why I started Wooven

Human Rights Are My Pride -- Why I started Wooven

Posted by Alan Hau on 14th Mar 2018

"When the human rights of LGBT people are abused, all of us are diminished. Every human life is precious -- none is worth more than another."

- Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations (29 September 2015)

While the western world has made considerable progress in legislation and public education, many countries in Asia are still lagging behind. A mix of taboo and cultural values have sidelined the needs of the LGBTI community even in highly developed cities such as Hong Kong.

Establishing Wooven allows me to participate and finance specific projects with local NGOs such as BMCC (Hong Kong's only LGBTI affirming church http://www.hkbmcc.org/home/) and Amnesty International. My mission includes personal sharing and workshops at universities to dispel the stigma of being a part of the LGBTI community. At the same time, I reinforce the fact that we are all born as individuals with different talents and potential to make a meaningful and positive impact on the world.

LGBTI individuals in Hong Kong face discrimination on a daily basis. A recent study commissioned by the Equal Opportunities Commission (2016) found that:

- Discrimination in schools and workplace are common.

- Almost 90% of the interviewees faced discrimination due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.

- More than 30% LGBTI individuals attempted suicide. The suicide rate of this group is double of that of the average population.

Source: Suen, Y.T., Wong, A.W.C, Barrow, A., Wong, M.Y., Mak, W.S., Choi, P.K., Lam, C.M., Lau, T.F. (2016). Study on Legislation against Discrimination on the Grounds of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Intersex Status.

To address the mental health issues in the community, BMCC has trained several counselors and begun a program over three years ago to serve the LGBTI community.

To date, thousands of individuals have benefited from this service, but it is not enough. Our rooms are overbooked, and the current space has reached its capacity.

The city desperately needs a haven where personal stories can be shared without social pressure and more resources for counselors sympathetic to the cause.

With your help, we can continue to champion for LGBTI rights in Hong Kong and expand the services to make sure everyone who needs our help can find it.

人權是我的驕傲——我為何創立Wooven


「當LGBT族群的人權被踐踏,我們所有人都被削弱了。每個生命都彌足珍貴——程度無分高低。」

——聯合國秘書長 潘基文 (2015年9月29日)

雖然西方世界在立法和公眾教育方面已取得長足進步,但許多亞洲國家仍然落後,即使在香港這樣高度發達的城市,禁忌和文化價值混和,令LGBTI社群的需要未獲正視。

成立Wooven使我能夠參與和資助本地非政府組織如基恩之家(香港唯一肯定LGBTI族群的教會 http://www.hkbmcc.org/home/)、國際特赦組織的特定項目。我的使命包括在大學舉辦分享會和工作坊,使LGBTI族群不以其身分為恥。同時,我強調每人與生俱來具備才能,有能力貢獻,使世界變得更美好。

香港的LGBTI人士每天都面對歧視。平等機會委員會 (2016) 最近的一項委託研究發現:

— 學校和職場歧視屢見不鮮。

— 接近90%受訪者曾因其性取向或性別認同而遭受歧視。

— 超過30%的LGBTI人士曾企圖自殺,這群組的自殺率為普通人口的兩倍。

資料來源:Suen, Y. T., Wong, A. W. C, Barrow, A., Wong, M. Y., Mak, W. S., Choi, P. K., Lam, C. M., Lau, T. F. (2016). Study on Legislation against Discrimination on the Grounds of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Intersex Status.

為解決LGBTI社群的精神健康問題,基恩之家訓練了數位輔導員,並在三年多前開展一項服務LGBTI社群的計劃。

迄今為止,數以千計的LGBTI人士受惠於這項服務。雖然如此,服務遠遠追不上需求。我們的房間已超額預訂,而且目前的可用空間已飽和。

香港迫切需要一個避風港,讓有需要人士在那裏分享他們的故事,而毋需面對社會壓力,此外,輔導員亦需要更多資源,去支援LGBTI社群。

有您的支持,我們可以繼續為香港的LGBTI人士爭取權利,並擴大服務範圍,確保每個需要幫助的人都能獲得服務。