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they face many different barriers – not
just from society but also from the LGBT
community itself, as minority groups are
often marginalised within the commu-
nity.
Yiu says it is not just the LGBT teens
who need counselling service, but also
their parents, who very often either
know nothing about LGBT or perceive it
negatively. “Many would think it’s good
enough to have the courage to come out
to their parents. But in fact, it may be the
start of suffering for the parents, and the
children seldom know how to help their
parents,” he says. Yiu also says the most
Yiu participating in a parade in Pink Dot Hong Kong 2014 challenging part of his job is to provide
Photo courtesy of Rex Yiu
support to people living with HIV or
drug abuse problems, especially with the
stereotypical views in society.
Yiu now switches from frontline
work to an administrative position, as
he hopes to take a break after working in
the field for a decade. “When you make
great effort to do your work, it actually
consumes lots of your energy,” he says.
Two years ago, the social worker mar-
ried his partner in Denmark after being
together for nine years. It was not easy
– it was only shortly before his marriage
that he completely came out to his whole
family – the last one in the family to learn
the news was his 90-year-old father. He
originally planned to keep his father in
the dark, but Yiu changed his mind.
“If I did not tell my father [about
my sexuality] before getting married, I
wouldn’t tell him for the rest of my life,”
Yiu says. After Yiu came out, the father
and son had a lengthy talk about sexu-
ality, marriage and even child adoption.
Everything was more peaceful than Yiu
thought, and he felt relieved.
Speaking of his future plans, Yiu says
he might go back to the frontline in the
future. He hopes the LGBT community
one day will be treated equally. “I believe
society can be more inclusive,” he says.

Edited by Tommy Yuen
Yiu giving a speech in his farewell party
Photo courtesy of Rex Yiu