Joanne Leung

Joanne Leung Wing-yan[1] is the first openly transgender politician in Hong Kong.

Assigned male at birth, she underwent sex-reassignment surgery in 2009 to become legally recognized as a woman. She was the chairperson of Pink Alliance[2][1] until 2017 and is the founder and chairperson of Transgender Resource Center (TGR),[3][4] two active non-governmental organizations that aim to service the LGBT community and promote LGBT equality. Leung is a transgender lesbian.[5]

Biography

Leung has stated that she first knew she should physically be a girl at the age of six.[1] As a child, she didn't know how to deal with bullies and kept her feelings to herself.[6] Hiding her transgender identity led to four attempted suicides.[1] In 2004, she consulted a sex clinic to find about sex reassignment surgery.[1] In 2009, she finally underwent the operation.[7]

After surgery, she started to think about supporting the transgender community.[5] Leung's stated goal is for Hong Kong society to learn more about transsexual and transgender individuals.[8] Leung has been fighting hard for LGBT rights in Hong Kong. She wants to ensure that other transgender people do not have to go through what she endured, especially since there is only little information on being transgender available to them.[9] Thus, she helped set up the Transgender Resource Centre (TGR) which helps support transgender individuals and provides education about transgender issues.[10] Leung works with TGR on a full-time basis.[1]

In 2014, Leung received her degree in computing from the University of Greenwich.[1] Also in 2014, she spoke to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and was the first transgender person from Hong Kong to do so.[11] She was also openly vocal in her opposition to an amendment to the Marriage Ordinance which would require transgender individuals to have sex reassignment surgery before they could marry.[12] Leung has also been a member of the Advisory Group on Eliminating Discrimination against Sexual Minorities, a group convened by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government, and the Community Forum on AIDS. In 2015, Leung joined the Democratic Party in Hong Kong to modernize the party's stance on LGBT issues.[7] She ran in the party primaries of 2016 Hong Kong Legislative election, but was defeated by Lam Cheuk-ting, who subsequently won in the general election. She has been the Policy Committee (LGBT) for The Professional Commons since Nov 2018.

Leung has stepped down as the chairperson of the Transgender Resource Center she founded on 17 May 2019 during the IDAHOT event in Hong Kong. Henry Tse was the new chairman and Leung is still keeping her role as vice-chair mainly for tasks of supporting and Transgender HIV project. Henry resigned in Oct 2020 and Leung step up again remotely in Taiwan while continuing her master's degree in gender studies and focus more on research work, cooperate with other groups, and to support new formed transgender groups in both Hong Kong and mainland China.

Awards
  • 2021 – Selected as one of the "Women of Power 2021" by Prestige Hong Kong Magazine
  • 2018 – Prism Award by Hong Kong Lesbian & Gay Film Festival
  • 2017 – Nominee for the Secretary's International Women of Courage Award, honoring women who have demonstrated exceptional courage, strength, and leadership in acting to improve others' lives
  • 2017 – Woman of Courage Award by the U.S. Consulate Hong Kong and Macau
  • 2017 – Listed as one of the 18 Everyday Heros in Mingpao Weekly
  • 2016 – Annual LGBT Milestone Award (ALMA)
  • 2014 – "She Dare to Change" Award by HER Fund
  • 2012 – Selected as one of the "45 People Aged 45 or Below Making a Difference in Hong Kong" by Baccarat Magazine in 2012

Publication

Published by Transgender Resource Center

  • 2012 – Gossip Boys and Girls Book 1 – Domestic Transgender Reading Manual
  • 2015 – Gossip Boys and Girls Book 2 – A Handbook for Parents of Trans People
  • 2016 – Gossip Boys and Girls Book 3 – A Handbook for Trans Ally
  • 2017 – Gossip Boys & Girls Book 4：The Book of Transgender in Hong Kong
  • 2019 – Gossip Boys & Girls Book 5：TranStory Chinese version (Editing)
  • 2019 – Gossip Boys & Girls Book 5：TranStory English version (Editing and Translation)

References
  1. Evans, Annemarie (13 October 2013). "Joanne Leung raises transgender awareness". South China Morning Post. South China Morning Post. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  2. "Pink Alliance 粉紅同盟 | TCJM 同志社區聯席會議". pinkalliance.hk. Retrieved 2016-03-24.
  3. "跨性別資源中心 Transgender Resource Center". www.tgr.org.hk. Retrieved 2016-03-24.
  4. Leach, Anna (8 May 2013). "Trans Visibility Campaign Launched in China". Gay Star News. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  5. Tsoi, Grace. "Joanne Leung". HK Magazine. HK Magazine. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  6. Yu, Derek (26 April 2013). "Hong Kong LGBT Activists Fight School Bullying With Video Series". Gay Star News. Archived from the original on 16 December 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  7. Lam, Jeffie (7 December 2015). "Hong Kong LGBT Activist Joins Democratic Party in Bid to Influence its Stance on Gender Issues". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  8. "Up close with Joanne Leung Wing-yan, a transsexual". No. Gender. South China Morning Post. 9 September 2010. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  9. Liang, Siran (November 2015). "The Ongoing Lonely Journey of Joanne Leung—Six Years after Sex-Reassignment Surgery". Word Press. Word Press. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  10. Tam, Arthur (9 May 2012). "Transgenders: More Than Meets the Eye". Time Out Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 25 June 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  11. "Transgenders 'Should Not Have to Undergo Sex Change Before Getting Married in Hong Kong'". South China Morning Post. 6 March 2014. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
  12. Ngo, Jennifer; Yeung, Linda (23 April 2014). "Conservative Christians and Gay-Rights Activists Unite to Condemn Transgender Marriage Bill". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
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