The Night of Ideas Series: Express to empower LGBT+ people

EVENT DESCRIPTION

Welcome to the 4th Event in the Night of Ideas Series! Join us for an evening focused on Express to empower LGBT+ people at Soho House Hong Kong. This event will provide an opportunity to discuss the spaces of emancipation for LGBT+ individuals from an intercultural perspective. It will take place at SOHO House on Saturday, 29 November 2025, starting at 3:00 PM. Come together with like-minded individuals to explore ways to empower and uplift the LGBT+ community. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to connect, learn, and make a difference.

This event co-organised by the Consulate General of France and the European Union Office in Hong Kong and Macao, aims to discuss the spaces of emancipation for LGBT+ individuals within an intercultural context, bringing together experiences from France and Hong Kong. It will explore the tools available for LGBT+ expression on the path to equality.

While France has progressively enshrined LGBT+ rights in law—such as marriage equality, adoption rights, and protection against discrimination—Hong Kong presents a more complex and evolving landscape. In recent years, the city has seen increasing public awareness, heightened activism, and several court decisions that have advanced the visibility and rights of LGBT+ individuals, creating fertile ground for dialogue. How do individuals and communities assert their space, visibility, and power to act in environments where institutional support varies? What strategies emerge when legal protections are incomplete? Conversely, how do legal advancements translate into everyday social acceptance?

Beyond legal and institutional dimensions, the conversation will also examine the roles of education, media, and civil society in shaping attitudes and creating inclusive environments. The event seeks not only to foster mutual understanding between France and Hong Kong but also to inspire transnational solidarity and collective reflection on the meaning of empowerment – “power to act” (pouvoir agir) in various contexts.

Programme
14:30 – Registration opens
15:00 – Opening remarks and Screening of award-winning LGBT+ movie Front Cover
16:45 – Post-screening discussion with film director Ray Yeung and Prof Marco Wan (HKU)
17:45 – Panel discussion between Prof Arnaud Alessandrin (Université de Bordeaux), Beatrix Pang of the Queer Reads Library, artist-activist Holok Chen. Moderation by Prof Lucetta Kam (HKBU)
18:45 – Open-mic session (members of the audience are welcome to share their thoughts on stage in any preferred forms, including but not limited to music, slam poetry, short act in under 5 minutes).

Free with registration.