Regime Shift and Discourse: Anti-Gay and Pro-Gay Rhetoric in Hong Kong after the Sovereignty Transfer

• In Event: 090 - Section on Sociology of Sexualities Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 10. Producing Sexuality Discourse

Abstract

Social movement literature has attempted to explain the content and the ways in which rhetoric is deployed during collective actions. The majority of literature examines the use of rhetoric in social movements such as abortion-right movement and women’s movement that happen in a relatively stable regime. Using content analysis of newspapers, right-wing Christian websites, and legislative archives of Hong Kong, this paper examines how regime shift in Hong Kong, a former British colony and now part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), is related to the content and deployment of pro-gay and anti-gay rhetoric after the sovereignty transfer. Before and after the regime shift, different political opportunities are open up to the pro- and anti-gay sides. These distinct political opportunities affect how pro- and anti-gay side can claim “China” as an authority to legitimize their claims.

Author

• Chi Cheng Wat, University of Toronto