Happy Fathers Day to all awesome men who spread L❤️VE!

This month we have the Fathers day. And this month is also the Gay pride month.

We thought it would be a good idea to recognize dads in a special way. To combine the two important dates this month, we spoke to some gay dads in HK that are fathers. All excited (as we always are for a LocalHood blog article😀), we tried to contact some gay parents with kids. The whole team helped with contacts but unfortunately we got no interest whatsoever to share their fatherhood stories, some for reasons we could well understand.

Not the ones to be disheartened😉😉, we decided to speak to some dad's who share their love with their pets. As many of us know, we can have near maternal or parental bonding with our pets. So off we went to meet the two couples. We sure were happy to hear what these dad's had to say about being a gay couple in HK and also a pet parent.

Eric & Alex

1. . Please provide your names and pet's name.

We are Eric & Alex and our little cat’s name is Ginger. When we got her, she was originally named Edith but we almost screamed in shock when we heard that and had to change it immediately 😀😀.

We have had her for almost 4 years, she was originally adopted from @Kirsten's Zoo charity to which we wholly recommend for any other people that might be looking to adopt any pets/members of their family.

2. How long have you lived in Hong Kong?

We were both born and brought up here in Hong Kong.

After his studies in Australia, Alex returned to HK around 2008 and Eric in 2012 and have lived here ever since! It is our home and we can't get enough of it, however, we do miss being able to travel back to these places on holiday.

3. Share some happy memories of life in Hong Kong as a gay couple.

We recently took Ginger to the Ritz Carlton for one of their Pet Staycation packages. It was pretty scary at first as we thought she was going to scratch everything but since she was so nervous and it was just one night it worked out very well and she seemed to really enjoy exploring the lovely big room and was fascinated with the views.

4. Do you think people in Hong Kong are accepting of LGBTQ community? Why or why not?

"I believe the younger generations in HK are much more accepting where the older generations tend to be coming around but at a much slower pace than Western countries. It is difficult for people in local communities as they are most likely still living with their family members and at times can still be closeted. We both have many friends at various stages of the closet and we hope this will continue to improve.

5. How did you decide to have a pet? What considerations did you have in making such commitment?

We actually fostered and adopted one cat before but she was at the end of her life and we only managed to keep her for one year before she passed away. That pain was pretty tough, but it made us realise how many cats there are out there that need a forever home so the next time around we specifically requested for a younger kitten.

6. How do you show your commitment to each other as a gay couple?

We always make sure we talk through our arguments and recurring fights. If we know something is bothering us we always make a point to talk through whatever is bothering us so that it is openly discussed and addressed. Fights are going to happen, people are going to get angry. It's what we do with that anger and how we react to the situation afterwards that keeps us together.

7. How can the Hong Kong community make same-sex couples feel more welcome?

Foundationally though there is still a lot of work to be done especially when it comes to the Government and Professional organisations, fortunately international organisations in HK are leading the way with initiatives that really try to improve and enhance their inclusivity and diversity and what we do see is that this will also encourage other organisations to follow suit.

Anonymous

1. Please provide your names and pet's/ kid's name. You can remain anonymous if requested.

Would like to remain anonymous.

2. How long have you lived in Hong Kong? What brought you to Hong Kong?

Over two years - came here for work and to enjoy Asian culture and travel.

3. Share some happy memories of life in Hong Kong as a gay couple.

Going to junk boat parties, hikes, swimming and brunches, also exploring HK history.

4. Do you think people in Hong Kong are accepting of LGBTQ community? Why or why not?

Have not experienced any problems so I would say yes it's accepting, however legal protection is not the same as for straight people and there are not many larger scale events aimed at or run by the community.

Pic source: Cathay Pacific’s LGBTQ-friendly advert from Quartz website: https://qz.com/1624461/hong-kong-mtr-and-airport-u-turns-on-gay-couple-ad-ban/

5. How did you decide to have a pet? What considerations did you have in making such commitment?

We both love dogs and being outdoors, a dog is a nice companion for this. We had to consider cost and who can be at home with the dog since it is unfair to leave them alone, luckily it is possible to work-from-home.

6. How can the Hong Kong community make same-sex couple feel more welcome?

More public events such as pride marches, more overtly gay-friendly establishments. This is usually achieved by references on the outside of the establishment such as a rainbow flag but also through inclusion in community press articles and in the media in general.

Happy Pride month again. Both sets of pet dads are fun-loving and committed to their families—just like committed straight couples 😊❤️. Let’s make them and all other minorities feel welcome in our community.

Happy Father’s Day 2021 to all dads!