IDAHO
Oliver wasn’t sure if it was a good one but it was an idea nevertheless. Doing something was better than doing nothing. Over the three months since he’d joined the employee resource group, he hadn’t done much. Kevin Taylor had told him it was okay to go slow. It was a new area for him anyway. He’d rather do things slowly than do them wrong. So as a part of that exercise, and partly from guilt over doing nothing, he stood there, right outside the SOGO Shopping Mall in Causeway Bay.
It was the 18th of May. A few organizations in Hong Kong had come together to celebrate IDAHO day. IDAHO stood for International Day Against Homophobia. It was observed on the 17th of May everywhere else, to coincide with the anniversary of the famous 1990 World Health Organization decision to remove homosexuality from its list of mental disorders. But 18th had been chosen in Hong Kong since it fell on a Sunday. Hong Kong people were practical about things. They’d rather work and party on Saturdays, leaving more complicated things to Sundays. That was the reason why all the family dim sum gatherings were on Sundays. Today’s had been a happy meal with his grandmother, who was back from China after a long trip to his cousin’s.
So there he was, armed with a camera. He had bought a tee shirt especially for the occasion. The theme was bright colours. His tee shirt was full of them and yet pink stood out quite prominently. He thought it was apt for the event. He was wearing shades, quite unsure of whether there would be press people clicking away indiscriminately. He didn’t want to feature on newspapers and websites. YouTube videos were something else. People normally missed a face in the crowd unless they were scanning the videos for it.
He’d deliberately avoided exit D1 and taken D2 instead. The gathering was in the form of a rally and right opposite D1. D2 brought him to the front of SOGO. He’d join the gathering from behind and slip out if something happened. Well, this was Hong Kong. What could possibly happen? If things got unruly, a reaction from the police maybe?
He crossed the street and stood near the escalators going up into Island Centre. An area behind SOGO had been cordoned off using metal barricades to which banners had been tied by the organizers. He spotted uniformed policemen amongst the passersby, walking up and down the pavements on either side. A few stalls had been set up next to the registration booth while a stage stood at the far end.
Oliver walked up to the registration booth wanting to read the event details on the flyers being handed out. As he bent down to pick one up, somebody tapped on his shoulder.
“Norman!”
It was Diano.
“Hey! How are you?” Oliver thought, he looked stunning in the bright green shirt.
“I’m good. How are you?” Diano kept grinning.
“Not bad.” It was great to see Diano after so many days. They hadn’t been in touch after returning from Shanghai.
“Good to see you here. Are you a volunteer too?” asked Diano.
“No. Just came to check it out.”
“I’m glad you did.” Diano took out his cell phone. “Give me your number before I forget to ask again.”
“Ha-ha. Sure. Give it to me.” Oliver typed in his number and dialed. “Giving myself a missed call so I can save your number too.”
“Yes. My number’s very important. You must make use of it,” Diano said and they both laughed.
Some of Diano’s friends turned up. He introduced Oliver to them as Norman. Oliver wondered whether he should tell Diano the truth about his name. But he didn’t know how Diano would react to it. Maybe it would be awkward in front of his friends. He’d tell him later.
Diano knew a lot of people! Oliver found it difficult to remember so many names all at once.
“I’m going to buy a drink from the 7-Eleven over there. Do you want anything?” The heat was making him sweat.
“No, I’m okay. I need to be here,” Diano said. “I’m helping out with the registrations.”
Oliver bought a bottle of lemon tea, a pack of wet tissues and some chewing gum. He finished the drink and headed back to the booth.
Diano was busy speaking in Putonghua to a few mainlanders and helping them out with some forms. Diano kept stealing glances at him every now and then, as if to check if he was okay.
When Diano took a break, he came over and asked if Oliver wanted to pose for the camera. He motioned towards a photographer who was taking shots of people holding placards; each placard carried a message on equality. Oliver chose a placard that said — Support Same Sex Partnership. It looked safe enough. They posed together for the shot.
The event was officially kicked off when the organizers went onstage and invited guests to share their personal stories. They spoke about how they had been discriminated against, ill-treated, fired at work, shunned by acquaintances and thrown out by their own family members. Oliver was moved. He’d never been to such an open public sharing before. He sensed a strong bonding within the community. It wasn’t just LGBT people but their friends as well. The crowd reached an emotional high when they sang the theme song for the event — Queer are ready. Oliver joined in.
Then the organizers called for a die-in protest. Many people stretched themselves out on a huge rainbow flag lying on the ground in front of the stage, to the surprise of passersby. The policemen continued their vigil unfazed. Diano took Oliver’s hand and coaxed him to lie down. Oliver didn’t want to in the beginning. It seemed silly, crazy even. But if his lying down on the flag meant something to Diano… They both lay down on the flag.
As the heat from the pavement reached his back, Oliver looked upwards. The sky was a small window in the wall formed by the buildings around them. He saw the people looking down at him. Oliver shut his eyes and his ears. It was a moment of peace, of tranquility.
