The people of Hong Kong are growing more tolerant

TheLGBT Queen Elizabeth Stadium in Hong Kong typically hosts rather humdrum events, such as debating competitions. But on November 4th the arena shimmered with glow sticks, as some 1,500 spectators waved rainbow flags. In some ways the opening ceremony of the Gay Games was similar to that of the Olympics, with + athletes marching alongside their countrymen (see picture). The Gay Games, though, have a more carnivalesque atmosphere.The weeklong event, delayed a year because of the pandemic, has come to Hong Kong as the city reconsiders the rights of sexual minorities. In September its top court ruled that the local government must rectify its failure to provide an “alternative framework for legal recognition of same-sex partnerships”, though it did not call for full marriage equality. In October a different court ruled in favour of equal inheritance rights for same-sex couples.