On the surface, it doesn’t look like LGBT life in Macau is particularly hoppin’. To a foreign traveller, even a diligent one who scours the Internet for public spaces to meet others, they might be told they’d have better luck in Hong Kong. Indeed this is where even some people from Macau cite first encountering others who are like them (Sim).                

Don’t be fooled, they’re definitely here. But where?

Perhaps the most visible of these communities are women migrant workers, who are often recognized in public
spaces as butch/femme couples. Unlike in Hong Kong, many migrant women workers do not live in homes working as nannies. Sundays in Macau don’t see as many people out and about as Hong Kong, where women take on public spaces on their day off of work (Tang). Other than the fleeting sight of such couples, there’s not much access for foreigners looking to connect with other LGBT folk. Beside bathhouses or saunas, which cater almost exclusively to men, most of the circles seem private – especially for a non-Cantonese speaking traveller like myself.

This, however, doesn’t mean that LGBT people in Macau live isolated lives without ever forming communities.
According to openly gay politician Jason Chao, homosexuality was never criminalized in Macau, though same-sex unions are still not legally recognized. Unlike Hong Kong where homosexuality was criminalized by the British rule,
groups were not prompted by a singular political event (like fighting for de-criminalization of homosexuality) to band together to fight for social justice. The general feeling in Macau seems to be similar to the stance of the PRC in the mainland: not promoting.

There perhaps is not solely one explanation to the stark divide of political public and private lives, but the
division of knowledge about the laws may be a factor in public participation. Although the official languages of Macau are Portuguese and Chinese (not entirely clear if it’s Cantonese or Mandarin, but most people speak Cantonese),
most of the legal proceedings are originated in Portuguese. Historically, the Chinese people of Macau were excluded from political life in Macau. In recent years, Hong Kong has seen the increasing politicization of the queer identity
(Tang).

Rainbow of Macau

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