SIP WEBISODE 2 : IDAHOT REDUX

// SIP AND SWALLOW. //

The Diva Video Of The Day™ Cascada - Glorious

The IDAHOT after-party was held at Psychic Jack and the after-after-party was at Roddy's for "meatballs with fungus" dinner. It's even tastier than it sounds.

Johan brought pepper meatballs in soup - in a gorgeous Le Creuset container, no less; Roddy made pasta with marinated meatballs. Johan served up durian pia from Vietnam; Roddy kept our glasses filled with stuff from Watson's Wine. Caro, Lore and I sighed and moaned and writhed in pure pleasure. Afterwards, Roddy even fed me grapes as I lay supine on the floor, spent from an orgiastic food extravaganza.

Roddy inducted us into the Spotify sorrority; Johan introduced us to disco lights by Flashlight. It was an iDance experience, replete with warring soundtracks from Caro's and Roddy's iGadgets. We heard Adele, Paloma Faith, The Gossip, and someone - some thing - that might have been a gorilla, but we couldn't be sure.

This was the track that got me, coz it's just pure bubblegum perfection. It has been chosen to represent Germany at the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest. I didn't think the Germans had it in them to create something sooo fluffy. Really. This is the land of Angela Merkel.

Enjoy - and have a fab week ahead, bitchiz!

  // THE HYPERACTIVE GAY BOY™ //

MR GAY HONG KONG AT IDAHOT 2013

YOU CAN STAND UNDER MY [RAINBOW] UMBRELLA, ELLA, ELA, EH EH.

IDAHOT CO-MC ABBY LEE WITH MR GAY HK BENJIE CARAIG

ACTIVIST AND COMMUNITY LEADER BILLY LEUNG (AND A CANDIDATE AT THE 2009 EDITION OF MR GAY HK)
ACTS AS HIS MUM'S TRANSLATOR.

BILLY'S MUM SAID:

"I MISSED OUT ON SO MUCH BEFORE BILLY CAME OUT. I'M MAKING UP FOR IT."

BENJIE, YOUNG ACTIVIST GEORGE, AND LAWYER MICHAEL VIDLER

L-R: HYPERACTIVE, MGHK TITLEHOLDERS HEIHEI AND BENJIE, AND MY CO-PRODUCER AD
PHOTO BY ANGIE PALMER

IDAHOT was once again held in the middle of Causeway Bay. I had my reservations about the location. We had trouble with the authorities two years ago. The rally was shut down during an interpretative dance number by high school students. The cops claimed our lack of the requisite entertainment license as the reason. I suspect the real reason to be complaints from shop owners who were panicked at the sheer density of pink and rainbow that descended on their precious commercial area. Hello! - we only make your place prettier just be hanging around!

So last year, we did the event at Chater Garden. It went great. The area is more contained, cleaner, safer. More families attended and the press had better access to the stage. This year, we returned to Causeway Bay - maybe to reclaim the experience, maybe to influence shoppers who wouldn't otherwise be exposed to an LGBT event, maybe to just be on the street.

Benjie, the current Mr Gay HK titleholder, spoke against bullying in all forms, at every stage of our lives. An entire squad of pink-clad boys stood behind him in support: Myself, 2012 1st runner-up Bridge Hudson, 2013 2nd runner-up Dickson Lau, 2011 Mr Gay HK Heihei Yau and my co-producer AD. We wore pink 'It's OK to be gay!' statement tees designed by Benjie himself, sales from which go towards the campaign against homophobic bullying in schools. (Buy it HERE.)

Activist Billy Leung, who competed in the very first edition of Mr Gay HK, acted as a translator for his mum.  All the more serendipitous that we had a testimonial from a loving mother, on Mother's Day. Benjie presented a bouquet to Billy's mum afterwards.

Other notable community leaders who got up onstage were Les Peches founders Betty Grissoni and Abby Lee (who was also Reggie Ho's co-MC), first openly gay legislator Ray Chan, Cantopop legend Anthony Wong, lawyer Michael Vidler, plus many more.

My favourite moment from the event was when we all opened our rainbow umbrellas to signify the voices of the LGBT community demanding legal protection from discrimination in Hong Kong.

The tide of history is turning.

It's not merely OK to be gay; it's great to be gay.

// GET HYPERACTIVE! //

IDAHOT. AND ICOULDATOLDYOUTHAT, TOO.

FROM L-R
HEIHEI, MR GAY HK 2009
BENJIE, MR GAY HK 2012
JIMMY, MR GAY HK 2011

It's a rare treat to capture three of my Mr Gay Hong Kong winners in one photo. Rick, who won the very first edition in 2009, has since relocated to Atlanta. Heihei and Benjie are always here of course and have become quite the dynamic duo in the LGBT community. Jimmy, who won back in 2011, is busy with the international theatre circuit. But he's in Hong Kong for a bit before he takes off for his next gig in Singapore, so the boys took in a junk trip last weekend.

Few people know what it takes to own the Mr Gay Hong Kong title. Sure, you win it onstage on the one night you get judged on rounds of competition that include swimwear, formal wear and interview. But you own it through your work in the community for the rest of the year. I'm ecstatic that three of my boys get to hang out, even for just a hot second.

Benjie has hit the ground running, designing an IT'S OK TO BE GAY statement tee (as seen on the video below), producing MGHK TV webisodes with Heihei, and now, pioneering community involvement with the I AM ME project.

Benjie will be taking the IDAHOT stage today (3-5pm, behind Sogo in Causeway Bay) to speak out against bullying, discrimination, and all that dark, ugly, painful, unfair shit we still need to deal with.

I know we're meant to be gay, but this is the one time we're meant to get angry. It's 20 fucking 13. Let's get on with the programme, bitchiz!