While the Covid-19 pandemic has shifted attention away from Hong Kong’s fight for democratic freedoms, protests have made the city a focus of the Chinese government’s authority and stance on human rights. Recent events have proved that the democratic question remains a live issue. A cornerstone of the political struggle is freedom of expression, and the ongoing fight for LGBTQ+ rights is an important test of that freedom. Where LGBTQ+ rights are suppressed, political, economic and social rights will be too. The status of LGBTQ+ communities and their political future in Hong Kong is a major battleground in Hong Kong’s political landscape and a guide to the status of other minorities and political dissidents. The rise of Chinese state control as it continues to implement the Hong Kong national security law will likely challenge the progress made in recent years.