An elderly man who goes by the name Shmily has called for the introduction of elderly homes for gays and lesbians. Shimily, who volunteers at an elderly gay and lesbian organisation, was speaking in a video released on Thursday ahead of the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOT).
“We’re already so old, can they let us gather together to have fun?” he said.
He said: “There is no big difference from other elderly homes, but all of this is will be made for elderly gays and lesbians. Everybody ‘speaks in the same language,’ but what everybody wants is different.”
“If we can find a guy, a gay guy to help us, be our caregiver, that would be great,” he added.
At the Legislative Council on April 25, Shmily said that some elderly gays and lesbians feel lonely at elderly homes because they do not have children.
Jimmy Sham, spokesperson for Rainbow Action, an LGBTQ activist group, also told the Legislative Council on the same day that some elderly gay and lesbian people refuse to enter mainstream elderly homes because they are afraid that their identities will be discovered. They worry about being asked about their marital status, he said.
IDAHOT will take place on May 17.
HKFP has reached out to the Equal Opportunities Commission for comment.
