HONG KONG – Repulse Bay is a 15-minute bus ride from the business district of Hong Kong Island. Within minutes, the bus swirls around picturesque views of a mountain range and yachts anchored by the seaside.
On August 17, I was invited once again, but this time, to induct the newly appointed officers for FilGuys Association – a group of women who have identified themselves as lesbian women or gay women with a desire to come together every other week to address some of the common issues that lesbians often face.
Being an overseas Filipino worker (OFWs) already has its own challenges in a foreign country, but being considered gay or lesbian brings forth another set of challenges, according to founder Marrz Balaoro of FilGuys. For example, in 2005, a Filipino lesbian was brutally attacked at a karaoke bar In Hong Kong.
In 2006, FilGuys was established with 21 founding members. Since then, members have come and gone. While good memories are created, horror stories have remained in the minds of the members. One such story about a founding member who was brutally killed by her husband when she went home. She was dismembered her; eyes gouged out.
FilGuys provided financial support to their deceased member’s family so she can have a proper burial.
To date, over 7.2 million people are living in Hong Kong. According to the Census and Statistics conducted in 2011, Filipinos account for 29.5% of the region’s ethnic group referred to as Asians (other than Chinese).
While the number of Filipinos have decreased from 142,556 in 2001 to 133,018 in 2011, the female-to-male ratio is much higher among those working as OFWs. Around half of the ethnic minorities in Hong Kong are foreign domestic helpers, 99% of whom are females.
It is a common sight to see Filipinos and other ethnicities sitting on flattened cardboard boxes on Sundays at the park or on footbridges while tourists and passersby gawk at their sheer number. Sunday is their day off, a break from a week of hard work.
Employer brutality is nothing new among domestic helpers. As one friend had confided in me, some even jump to their death from high rise buildings, while others experience mental breakdowns such as the case of an OFW who stripped off her clothes at a busy subway station, which was witnessed by commuters last month. It was reported that she suffered from sheer “exhaustion.”
Others live in hiding as mentioned by author Gordon Mathews, a Hong Kong anthropologist/professor who has chronicled the lives of illegal workers, some Filipinos, at Chungking Mansions – a dilapidated 17-storey commercial and residential structure in the heart of Hong Kong’s tourist district.
But there are those who are lucky to have better lives and empathetic employers such as Belen S. who has lived in Hong Kong for over 28 years. She has worked for the same employer throughout her stay while her partner, Borriz B, has had to change 3 times throughout her stay for over 25 years.
After repeating their oath after me, some of the newly appointed FilGuys officers needed more encouragement than others, such as Piolo M., the new leader of the group. At first reluctant, Piolo admitted her fears of leading. She received encouragement from members who told her: “Kaya mo yan! (You can do it!)”
As a Fil-Canadian, I’ve been welcomed by FilGuys and they’ve exemplified that lines between stereotyping, categorizing and biases are blurred in a world where, for just a short moment, everyone can work together towards inclusiveness, diversity and love equality – as goes the motto of FilGuys of Hong Kong. – Rappler.com
In the past 6 years, Jefferson Mendoza lived in Seoul, Tokyo, Guangzhou in China and now in Hong Kong as an Online Editor for CFO Innovation Asia – providing business advice and news to CFOs, treasurers and finance managers, among others. Born in Manila, raised in Montréal. Visit his personal blog: http://myjeffersonian.wordpress.com
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