Hong Kong’s leader said she did not condone the remarks made by a lawmaker concerning the Gay Games — slated to be held in Hong Kong in 2022 — adding that they were regrettable and could cause division and hatred in society.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam was responding to a question on Tuesday about pro-Beijing lawmakers who spoke out against the event last week. Pro-Beijing lawmaker Junius Ho said last week that the Gay Games would bring “dirty money” to the city, while his colleague Priscilla Leung said the event would be rejected by the majority of Hongkongers.

Without naming names, Lam said it was “much regretted” that individual members of the Legislative Council had become “a bit emotional in expressing their view.”

“I certainly, personally, and as the chief executive, do not condone that sort of remarks by individuals which will unnecessarily divide society and even raise hatred among certain sectors in the community,” Lam said, adding that lawmakers should abide by their own standards of conduct.

“Our position on the Gay Games is we understand the purpose of these Games is to promote inclusiveness and diversity. We have no problem with that sort of spirit and purpose of the Games.”

The government will work with the event organizers to deal with venue rental in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, she said.

The Gay Games Hong Kong organizers welcomed Lam’s remarks and said they “look forward to a collaborative and fruitful cooperation” with her administration. They asked the government to help them secure sports venues ahead of time and allow them to be exempt from rules typically applied to one-off local events.

“As the first Games of its kind in Asia, this event will put Hong Kong on the map as a world-class city representing our values of unity, diversity and inclusion,” the organizers said in a statement.

Ho on Tuesday afternoon doubled down on his comments, saying that he would not change his stance and that he was “not emotional, only worried” when he spoke last week. Sexual minorities should be respected but not encouraged, Ho said, adding that they should not become mainstream.

“‘Natural’ people are attracted to their opposite gender … This is how humanity sustains itself. Your father and mother gave birth to you, not two fathers or two mothers,” he added. “We want equality but we shouldn’t get our priorities wrong.”

Click here for Chinese version

---------------------------------

Apple Daily’s all-new English Edition is now available on the mobile app: bit.ly/2yMMfQE

To download the latest version,

iOS: bit.ly/AD_iOS

Android: bit.ly/AD_android

Or search Appledaily in App Store or Google Play