Choi has claimed that the Coalition and others who advocate equal rights for homosexuals will hijack the march by their presence. Apparently they may even raise the demand for an end to discrimination on the basis of gender orientation.

Choi and his fellow zealots appear to believe that the call for universal suffrage is confined to the minimalist desire for people to cast their votes every now and again. However, as the march organizers rightly point out, this demand has far wider connotations.

Universal suffrage is essentially about empowerment of the people to determine their destiny and secure a government that reflects their views. The right to vote is an important part of this empowerment process, but surely it can only be one aspect.

Were it not so, Hong Kong's anti-democrats would have a point in their facile argument that universal suffrage is no panacea. Of course it's not, it's merely part of a process to create representative government, and that in turn is only meaningful if even the most downtrodden have some say in how they are governed.

That is why the organizers of this year's demonstration have deliberately widened the focus of the march. They plan to have a number of disadvantaged and grassroots groups playing a leading role to emphasize that the call for universal suffrage is part of a broader demand for equality. It is in this context that the organizers invited gay and lesbian groups, alongside those representing single parents, new immigrants and the handicapped, to play a role.

There is much to commend this approach, not least because it emphasizes that universal suffrage and equality are only meaningful concepts if extended to sectors of the community facing the highest obstacles of discrimination and disadvantage.

The zealots skip around the issue of discrimination because of an obsession and visceral fear of same-sex relationships. Instead of being open about this, they present their objections on grounds that those who are the targets of their hatred might have the temerity to assert themselves and even flaunt their differences. So fervent is their phobia that they assume that any lessening of sexual discrimination will somehow encourage non-homosexuals to change their sexual orientation.

These so-called ``truth and light'' merchants are not new to the game of bigotry. They pop up with frequent discoveries of ``pornography'' and shroud their intolerance behind the guise of a concern to protect children. Like zealots through the ages, they will tolerate no argument and have a terrifying certainty about what is morally right.

One of the many things I have always liked about Hong Kong is the notable absence of widespread organized bigotry. This is not America where doctors who perform abortions are murdered in their homes, nor is it Pakistan where rape victims are persecuted. Extremism of this kind has little place in our society and although the zealots jump up and down trying to gain attention, they are largely ignored.

And it is important to note that the intolerance of these zealots is not universal among practicing Christians. Indeed their behavior has spurred Christian youth groups to organize a counter movement to encourage the participation of sexual minorities in the cause of democracy. If the zealots want to hold the July 1 rally to ransom to pursue their obsessive agenda, no doubt the marchers can do without them.

There can never be true democracy in a society which harbors institutional discrimination against minorities. Hong Kong is moving at a snail's pace to eradicate some of the more odious forms of discrimination, but on one matter, the rights of gays and lesbians, the snail has retreated back into its shell.

The argument is made that Hong Kong is a conservative society which is uncomfortable in dealing with matters such as same-sex relationships. It was the same argument employed against legislation to ban the binding of women's feet in China. That legislation was passed by the new republic in 1911. The sky did not fall and this limited form of female emancipation was soon universally accepted.

Most Hong Kong people are not bigots - on the contrary, on a personal level homophobia is not much of an issue and many of the top entertainers in the territory have not been hampered by knowledge of their sexuality.

Maybe it is better to treat the ``truth and light'' brigade as more of a joke. After all, we are beginning silly season with the arrival of the first square watermelons from Taiwan. Gullible people buy them for HK$2,300 apiece.

vines@netvigator.com

Stephen Vines is a journalist and entrepreneur