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Interview with Prof. Chan: Umbrella Movement, Democracy and Freedom
Tianni Lin / October 13, 2017
It was 2:38 pm, 7 minutes earlier than the appointed time for interview. Chan Kin Man stepped into the classroom, panting slightly while smiling warmly. Just heading back from doing eye operations at hospital, this 58-year-old man gently pushed his glasses up and said he had two classes today, appointments after 4 and numerous things to do. But he sat here, smiling and sharing his stories to students, as if there were no clouds looming over him.
He is busy. He is a famous democracy fighter of Hong Kong, co-founder of 2014 Occupy Central Movement, Chinese University professor, Sociologist, and a father.
But he is probably going to jail soon, and he knows that well.
“Well, it’s just like staying at home…taking shower with people together might be embarrassing for young people, but I surely don’t.” Chan laughed.
Chan recently got charged by the police for organizing the Occupy Central with Love and Peace Movement in 2014, in which numerous HK citizens went on streets, speaking out for real suffrage and democracy in Hong Kong to oppose Beijing’s proposal of ‘universal suffrage’. The movement lasted 79 days and was eventually disbanded under police’s pressure. With student activists like Joshua Wong sent to jail this summer, many people and even Chan himself believed he will be the next bird in cages.
Facing jail, however, Chan never felt regret on what he did three years ago. To him, going to jail can ‘strengthen the democratic movement’, as he always prepares to sacrifice for democracy in Hong Kong.
Back to 1979, as this young college student witnessed turbulent times in society, Chan didn’t realize how important the Kaohsiung Incident was to his life. He couldn’t forget those photos of people gathering on street and speeches about fighting for democracy. But when police sentenced major participants to death, he was totally shocked. Chan clearly recalled that stunning seminar on campus 38 years ago, when one participant fled to Hong Kong talking about Taiwan independence, a journalist interrupted and started arguing with him harshly. Chan didn’t understand. Why Taiwanese were shut up from talking about independence? In Chan’s eyes, the arrested heroes from the incident are ‘very brave people’. It was this Kaohsiung Incident that ignited his passion to fight for democracy, to fight for Hong Kong, and to fight for Chinese society.
"If you ask why I did this? Because when I was young, I have faced such a challenge and it changed the profession of my life. I believed that these brave people are fighting for me, and I should be part of it." Chan said firmly.
But Chan, different from many political activists, wasn't a radical type of person, nor he suggested to break the baseline. He was known from his mild behavior and unchanged smile. He was an expert in Chinese society, keeping close friendly relationship with the government. His philosophy was 'step by step', the phrase repeated throughout his talks, that to achieve democracy is a step-by-step process, same for initiating a movement. "If you ruthlessly fight against the government at first, you are shutting down chances to discuss with them." Therefore, what he wanted to make is a movement that lasts long to pressure the government for reforms.
Yet, things never work out that easy. Concerns flooded over him before taking the leader role of this movement, and Chan had fully perceived that outcome: it would ruin his career. He would become the enemy of central government. He would lose his job as a prestigious scholar in China's institutions. He would face threats both physically and spiritually. More seriously, he might go to jail.
Should he go along his existing career, or should he contribute democratic power to Hong Kong with countless expenses falling after?
After experiencing useless conversations and numerous forceful interventions to govern HK from the central government, Chan decided to go on. “There’s no country that sits there and wait until democracy comes to you,” Chan claimed, “Hong Kong won’t survive if it doesn’t demand for democratization now.”
That's how the Occupying Movement came to play. But meanwhile, the outcome disappointed some people, witnessing that Hong Kong society had been torn up into two extremes, and it’s facing tighter control right now under Xi Jinping's regulation - even a gentle person like Chan has to go to jail soon, what should people expect for?
But Chan, as usual, kept his best hope for the future. He believes that the Occupying Central Movement will influence more students and younger generation to push democratic process forward, just like how the Kaohsiung Movement lighted up his life-long path as a college student.
He acknowledged that it is hard for Hong Kong to change in recent years, but who knows after 20 years? 30 years? ‘The spirits to fight against always exist from the movements’, and he assures that democracy will come to Hong Kong when China gets more freedom.
And Chan is never afraid of going to jail at all.
“Life is so short to be scared about everything.” He smiled.
Surely he will keep his optimistic smile no matter what comes over: a smile that conveys love, hope and freedom to people.
People born in wrong bodies: Transgenders in Hong Kong
Tianni Lin / December 11, 2017
Rainbow flags flourished along the busiest streets in Hong Kong in the 2017 Pride Parade, the largest LGBTQ event in town that attracted more than 10,000 people to join. Stephy, the girl I am going to meet with, had called me over ten times during the day, urging to tell me her stories. It was too difficult to recognize her in the crowd, until a girl in blue with pony tail waved at me and smiling.
This was what I know about Stephy, an active member of Sex and Gender Concern Group (SGCG) in Chinese University.
But, this is what I didn’t know. She was a boy who had struggled so hard to become a girl.
“This was me,” Stephy took out a photo of her as a young, nerdy boy with dull eyes and no smile. “When I was in primary school, I always hoped to be treated like a girl.” Stephy slowly revealed her painful past when nobody stood on her side: her classmates teased at her, alienated her and never played with her. Teachers knew the situation well, but none of them stopped students from bullying, nor offered any helps to Stephy. After graduated from secondary school, Stephy went to work but faced more challenges. Finding jobs is hard, even after getting in, employees always gossiped at her back because of her ‘weirdness’.
Years by years, life hit her to desperation. “The society always forced me to be a male, but I didn’t want to commit in anything using my biological gender – even the title ‘Sir’ in the bank letter made me mad.”
After four years of working, Stephy stepped out for a big change. Using HKD$80,000 earned, she flew to Thailand and did the gender reconstruction surgery. “I was rejected by hospital in Hong Kong,” Stephy said, “everyone including my family were strongly against my decision, but I had decided to live my life.”
Stephy is probably one of the luckiest people who can finish the beautiful reborn. There are countless transgender people in the society whose gender identity conflicts with their assigned one; yet, discriminations flood over them as they fail to meet the social norms of masculinity and femininity, pressuring them to live in the unwanted identity.
According to the survey conducted by Transgender Resource Center in Hong Kong, 70.4% transgenders under 30 have thought about committing suicide, while 18.4% have tried. No official statistics could tell the exact number of transgender people and their living condition in Hong Kong, whereas Beijing LGBT Center just published the first official ‘China Transgender Population General Survey Report’ in November, indicating that 89.1% people who desired to do gender reconstruction surgery failed mainly due to economic stress and family disagreement, and over 70% have encountered discriminations at school, workplace and intimate relationship.
Yet, are they wrong?
“We don’t want to live in the identity that we are not belonging to, and gender should be a spectrum rather than only male or female.” Katie, a transgender wearing black pantyhose and high-heels, planned to start having hormone therapy to become more womanish. However, Katie had been snapped on MTR and shared on Facebook as a rare ‘ladyboy’. Sisdon, a transgender teaching dance at school, had been tired of students and parents judging the class by his girly gestures instead of dancing skills. To ignore is the only choice they can make.
Hong Kong still has a long way to go. Currently many transgender believe they have less rights and freedom: if transgenders were raped, they cannot sue. Going to public restroom is always a cost of frightening others or even being reported, since there is no gender-free restroom established in Hong Kong. Moreover, the heated discussion on Gender Recognition Legislation, which accepts change of gender identity without surgery, has been going on for years. As Mrs. Au, the Director of Amhesty International Hong Kong commented, not everyone is suitable to do the gender reconstruction surgery; some are of bad physical or mental condition that resect and reconstruct the sex organ can threaten their life.
But the opposing voice remains strong. Choi Chi Sum, the general secretary of Christian Conservative Society for Truth and Light, believed that such legislation creates chaos in society, given that people are born with their assigned gender in DNA which cannot be altered. “Those transgenders should learn to accept their appearance, their gender, their everything before asking the society to accept them,” he said.
Yet both sides mention that education of sex and gender in primary and secondary schools is insufficient. Influenced by traditional Chinese culture, parents are reluctant to teach kids to learn the ‘filthy stuffs’ of their bodies, while no subjects on gender are a must-to-learn for young students. The strict social norms of what male and female should behave further strengthen the stereotypes.
These misunderstanding and lack of knowledge produce more discrimination. “Some of my colleagues cannot even distinguish sexual orientation and gender identity,” The LGBTQ activist Councilor Raymond Chan said. “Right now I am writing a textbook on sex and gender to educate more people.”
The transformed Stephy is a happy and outgoing girl like anyone else in the crowd of Pride Parade.
But for Katie, Sisdon, and many more people, the future of transgender is still unknown.
“I hope people could realize that who you are is important than what gender you are.” Stephy took a selfie and smiled.
