Mind HK in partnership with MINDSET are organising this event to showcase a panel discussion with our LGBTQ+ identifying ambassadors, Kristeen and Kopal! Register now.

Join us in a panel discussion with our LGBTQ+ identifying ambassadors, Kristeen and Kopal, who will be sharing their lived experience with mental health struggles and their recovery journey. They will also be discussing how discrimination has impacted their mental health and the strength they found within their identities to drive their recovery.

Alongside people with mental health experience, the LGBTQ+ community is another group of people with stories to be heard by society. The LGBTQ+ community also encounters a unique set of challenges when it comes to mental health. According to research, LGBTQ+ adults are more than twice as likely as heterosexual adults to experience a mental health condition and transgender individuals are nearly four times as likely as cisgender individuals to have a mental health condition.

Many factors aside, this is due to the fact that many people identifying as LGBTQ+ also face discrimination, family rejection, harassment and a fear of violence, simply for being who they are.

Join us to celebrate our pride and our unique experiences and identities!

Registration for this event is required, and all proceeds will go back towards the anti-stigma programme and its effort in destigmatising mental health.

Event details:

Date: Saturday, 24th February 2024

Time: 12PM – 1PM HKT

Mode: In-person panel discussion

Location:  JC Cube, Tai Kwun, 10 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong

Language:  English (Simultaneous interpretation available)

Price: 

Regular tickets: $150 HKD

Student / Mind HK Partner / NGO Staff Tickets: Free (please use either school or work email in registration). If you are not in these categories and need financial support attending this event, please email us at [email protected]

Registration Link: www.eventbrite.hk/e/topic-intersecting-identities-lgbtq-and-mental-health-tickets-792997907087?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

Guest Introduction:

Kristeen (心聆大使 Mind HK Ambassador)

Kristeen（她）是一所美國商業顧問公司的技術專員，為國際客戶實施銷售和營銷自動化。她是在香港出生和長大的菲律賓裔，作為少數族裔經歷了本地教育，並隱藏了自己女同性戀的身份。

在感到「不合群」幾十年後，她在大學時期經歷了一次重度抑鬱症發作，並首次尋求了心理輔導。2022年，她接受了注意力缺陷過動症（ADHD）的診斷，並在2023年向家人出櫃。她學到的最重要的一課是什麼？做真實的自己是一個持續的過程——旅程的起伏是發展內心平靜的一部分。

Kristeen (she/her) is a technologist at a US-based business consultancy, where she implements sales and marketing automation for clients internationally. A Filipina born and raised in Hong Kong, she went through the local education system as an ethnic minority and hid her identity as a lesbian.

After decades of feeling “out of place”, she had a major depressive episode in college and sought counseling for the first time. In 2022, she received her ADHD diagnosis and in 2023, finally came out to her family. The biggest lesson she’s learned? Being authentic is a continuous process—the ups and downs of the journey are part of developing your inner peace.

Kopal (心聆大使 Mind HK Ambassador)

新德里出生並在香港長大的Kopal，衷心的喜愛城市生活。她是一名多領域自由工作者，包括寫作、社區管理和DEI。她在16歲時被診斷出患有躁鬱症，在過去的10多年中，她努力找到了自己的平衡點。即使在最糟糕的日子，只要有陽光、一杯熱咖啡和一本好書，你也可以在她的臉上看到微笑！歡迎在Instagram上與她聯繫@andshedoes。

Born in New Delhi, and grown up in Hong Kong, Kopal is a city dweller at heart. She is a freelancer wearing multiple hats including writing, community management and DEI. She was diagnosed with bipolar when she was just 16, and in the last 10+ years she has worked hard to find her equilibrium. But, even on her worst dates, you can put a smile on her face with some sunshine, a hot cup of coffee and a great book! Feel free to connect on Instagram at @andshedoes

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“More than a Label 我就是我” is Mind HK campaign in partnership with MINDSET, which stems from their goal of changing and influencing the public’s perception towards persons with diagnosable mental health conditions. Funded by Jardines Matheson, this campaign encourages the public to look beyond the typical, stigmatising, labels associated with mental health diagnoses. Through personal stories of mental health journeys, we showcase realistic portrayals of people who have faced mental health problems are in recovery to ignite hope in others and encourage help-seeking.

With this campaign, we hope to raise awareness of the stigma towards mental health conditions, celebrate the resilience and strength of people in recovery, and educate and equip the public with mental health knowledge. We believe this will encourage more conversation in mental health, which will in turn help destigmatise mental health in Hong Kong.