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Dedicated to Serving

the Minorities

Former social worker Rex Yiu talks about his own experience as a sexual
minority and his service in the Hong Kong LGBT community

By Lambert Siu

ike many other teenagers, Rex Yiu eventually plucked up his ual minorities who suffer from similar
Yiu met his first love – a girl – courage and decided to come out in problems.
Lwhen he was a secondary school a fellowship gathering. But responses He recalled an experience in his
student. But he had a strange feeling from his fellowship members made university life which changed his
about dating a girl. He did not feel any him feel weird. “Maybe people in the worldview. An anti-LGBT organisa-
affection and was unwilling to hold fellowship were teenagers, so they tion, the Society for Truth and Light,
her hand or hug her. There he learnt didn’t have any peculiar reactions. did a full-page advertisement express-
about his sexuality. But no one would discuss or share ing their opposition against the legis-
Having come out publicly and hap- any views on the topic [about coming lation of Sexual Orientation Discrimi-
pily married with his male partner, out],” he says. nation Ordinance on Ming Pao. To his
Yiu, 34, now works in the administra- surprise, his Christian classmates be-
tive section for a non-governmental gan to question their religion. “It was
organisation. Previously he worked the very first time that I thought there
as a social worker mainly helping and It’s one of the might be a possibility for the world to
providing counselling service to the change,” he says.
LGBT community in Hong Kong for dreams that I have Yiu became a social worker after
10 years. always kept in my graduating in 2006. LGBT was still not
Growing up as a sexual minor- a major service target in the local so-
ity, Yiu definitely feels the pain and heart, and it finally cial work field at that time. There was
sufferings of the LGBT community. no formal organisation which spe-
Having studied in a Christian sec- comes true cifically offered support to the LGBT
ondary school, where homosexuality community. Whenever some main-
is considered a sin, he felt guilty for stream NGOs start volunteer projects
his sexual orientation when he was a about LGBT, Yiu never hesitates to
teenager. join. “It’s one of the dreams that I have
“I chose to believe in Christianity He at last found comfort when he always kept in my heart, and it finally
at that time, which intensified my in- came out to a priest who prayed for comes true,” Yiu says.
ner struggle. The situation went worse him instead of judging his decision. Yiu’s adversities in the teenage
since most of my friends were Chris- As he began his university study, he years have made him a more under-
tians and I did not have the courage met some new friends who were more standing person, especially when

to tell them [that I’m gay],” he recalls. receptive and open-minded towards helping the LGBT youth, who long for
During the toughest times of his his sexuality. others to understand their difficulties
life, he wrote diaries about his inner The pain of growing up in Yiu’s and loneliness. “My identity and ex-
thoughts. He even thought of com- teenage life had helped him under- periences help me better understand
mitting suicide. “In the worst days, I stand more about his own identity others’ situations,” he explains.
had 20 to 30 nightmares every night and led him to study social work in He thinks these LGBT teens easily
which kept me awake,” he recalls. university in a bid to help other sex- have problems with socialisation, as