2018 Hong Kong LGBT+ Public Champion Award Finalists & Online Public Voting

This Award aims to recognise a public figure (eg. politician, entertainer, athlete, government official, etc.) who has used their influence to promote LGBT+ inclusion in Hong Kong. Winner of this Award will be the one that receives the most votes from the general public in Hong Kong.

Read the five finalist biographies and be sure to cast your vote by Friday 13 April 2018!

Dr. Brenda R. Alegre
Assistant Lecturer, Faculty of Arts, The University of Hong Kong

Brenda is an active advocate for LGBT+ and women in the Philippines and Hong Kong. She has been using her experiences and learnings to help promote transgender and LGBT+ visibility. She believes presence and identity becomes crucial ingredients for educating the Hong Kong society where transgender awareness and visibility is low.

Brenda has been an Assistant Lecturer at the University of Hong Kong for nearly 7 years. She teaches Sexuality and Gender to about 300 students per semester and is a sought-after guest lecturer on transgender history and experiences. Besides teaching, she has creatively collaborated with students to bring about class activities to promote LGBT+ inclusion within the campus. Brenda is also a member of the university’s Gender and Diversity Committee and Women's Research Center, where she strives to ensure transgender and queer visibility remains a priority. Outside work, Brenda has also proactively engaged the LGBT+ community in Hong Kong by supporting the English-speaking channel of Transgender Resource Center. She is also a soprano in The Harmonics, one of the only LGBTQ plus choir in Hong Kong

Brenda has appeared in various online and media interviews on women, sexuality and gender as an out and vocal transgender woman. She was also a guest speaker on RTHK and DB Radio Fuse on gender and transgender issues.

Beyond Hong Kong, Brenda is currently a board member of the Society of Transsexual Women of the Philippines (STRAP), and a Transgender Secretariat in the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA). She bravely chooses to be vocal and lives a challenging journey as a transgender public figure.

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Prof. Alfred Chan Cheung-Ming
Chairperson, Equal Opportunities Commission

Professor Alfred Chan has been Chairperson of the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) since April 2016. Since his appointment he has provided leadership on issues of advancing LGBT+ equality, using his position to ensure that LGBT+ equality remains a strategic priority area of work of the EOC; advocating for legislative and policy changes by the Government; as well as working closely with other key stakeholders.

Over the last five years, the EOC has made one of its strategic priority areas of work promoting equality for LGBT+ people in Hong Kong and Prof. Chan has strongly advocated for legislative and policy developments by the Government in three key areas: anti-discrimination legislation; equality for same sex couples; and gender recognition legislation for transgender people.

Following the publication of the landmark EOC study on introducing LGBTI anti-discrimination legislation in January 2016, in March 2017 Professor Chan led the EOC work on issuing a statement supported by 75 organisations, calling on the Government to implement the recommendations to introduce LGBT+ anti-discrimination legislation. This was the first time that a wide range of stakeholders, including many from the business sector, called for such legislation. In 2017, Professor Chan has also led a wide range of EOC work relating to gender recognition legislation for transgender people: including submissions to Government, as well as speaking at conferences.

In relation to engaging with stakeholders, Prof. Chan has ensured that he regularly engages with all the key stakeholders to demonstrate his and the EOC’s support on LGBT+ issues. This includes the Government, business sector, legal sector, NGOs, religious organisations, and the Media. Prof. Chan has spoken at the Out Leadership Asia Summit in 2016 and 2017, Pink Dot Hong Kong 2016-17, Pride Parade Hong Kong 2016-17, and other LGBT+ related international and local conferences.

Siufung Law
Teaching Assistant, Department of Comparative Literature, The University of Hong Kong & Ambassador of Gay Games Hong Kong 2022

Siufung is a genderqueer athlete, an ambassador of Gay Games Hong Kong 2022, lecturer and public speaker on gender studies. He promotes gender fluidity and diversity through sports and academia.

As an experienced public speaker, he conducts academic discussions in universities, schools and community colleges on transgender/gender studies to raise awareness and understanding of gender non-conformity.  

Siufung is well known for publicly embracing gender diversity and has been featured widely in mainstream, online and print media. He has conducted 27 media reportage on his gender queer journey since 2016.  This positive media coverage has helped to create a better understanding and openness towards gender non-conformity.

Being an active participant in female bodybuilding, Siufung uses his own body as praxis to break through gender boundaries and hierarchies.  He has also introduced the concept of gender queer to the Asian world and presents himself as a genderfluid iconic athlete. He is an ambassador for Gay Games Hong Kong 2022.

Siufung is a gender activist who uses his voice and influence to speak about legalisation change to include gender recognition laws in Hong Kong.  He hopes to inspire those who are struggling with their gender identity, and further encourage more visibility of younger LGBT+ people in the future.

Brian Leung Siu-Fai
Chief Operating Officer, BigLove Alliance

Brian Leung is a renowned veteran broadcaster & activist.  He is currently the appointed Chief Operating Officer of BigLove Alliance, a NGO and collective initiated by pop stars Anthony Wong and Denise Ho in Jan 2013, in the fight for LGBT+ rights against discrimination.  Over the years, Brian championed various advocacy campaigns, including Pink Dot Hong Kong, which has become one of the biggest annual Hong Kong LGBT+ event. He has also been invited by AIDS Concern as the ambassador for the promotion of safe sex & regular HIV testing.

Brian launched HK's first LGBT+ netcast back in 2000. In 2006, Brian was invited to host the first ever and the only Chinese LGBT+ radio programme "We Are Family" on RTHK. The programme won the Chinese radio category in the 14th Annual Human Rights Press Award. In 2016, Brian won the Prism Award presented by Hong Kong Lesbian & Gay Film Festival to honour his outstanding contributions to LGBT+ equality.

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Michael Vidler
Principal, Founder and Solicitor, Vidler and Co

Michael is the proprietor of his law firm specialising in public law, human rights, discrimination and other areas.  He has used his role as a leading human rights solicitor and advocate to significantly advance LGBT+  rights in Hong Kong over several decades.

Michael’s work has been groundbreaking, and often in the face of a Government that is hostile to LGBTI rights, including strategic litigation on freedom of expression relating to LGBT+ broadcasts; freedom of assembly in the context of LGBT+ public events; the rights of transgender people to marry; the requirements of surgery for transgender people to change gender; and the refusal of dependent visas for same-sex couples from overseas.

Some key highlights of his recent strategic litigation during 2016-17 include winning the Court of Appeal QT v Director of Immigration case on the right of same-sex couples to dependent visas, an on-going judicial review challenge to the Government's policy of requiring sex reassignment surgery for persons wishing to transition, and launching a constitutional challenge to gay-specific criminal offences which still remain on the statute books after the watershed victory of the Billy Leung case in 2006.

Apart from advancing LGBT+ rights through courts, Michael is also a vocal supporter of LGBT+ issues. He has spoken at numerous conferences and university seminars, lobbied Chief Executive candidates in his role as a member of the Chief Executive Election Committee and worked with the business sector, non-government organisations, Legislative Council Members and public service providers to promote LGBT+ rights and issues. 

Given Michael’s expertise and public image, he is widely quoted and frequently appears in the media on a wide range of major LGBT+ issues. He also proactively provides general legal advice to LGBT+ clients relating to issues of possible discrimination or breaches of their human rights.