Prof. Travis Kong is a Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Hong Kong where he also serves as Programme Director for the Master of Social Sciences programme in Media, Culture and Creative Cities. He teaches gender and sexuality, queer theory, media, and cultural studies, while his research specializes in Chinese homosexuality, prostitution in Hong Kong and mainland China, social impacts of HIV/AIDS, and transnational Chinese sexuality.
Kong is the sole author of Chinese Male Homosexualities: Memba, Tongzhi and Golden Boy (Routledge, 2011); Oral Histories of Older Gay Men in Hong Kong: Unspoken and Unforgotten (Hong Kong University Press, 2019); and Sexuality and the Rise of China: the Post-1990s Gay Generation in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Mainland China (Duke University Press, 2023). To date, his articles have appeared in books, encyclopedias, and journals, including Body & Society; Gender, Work & Organization; Culture, Health & Sexuality; The British Journal of Criminology; The Sociological Review; Qualitative Research; Men and Masculinities; The British Journal of Sociology; The Lancet; and AIDS Care. Kong is also the co-editor-in-chief of Sexualities: Studies in Culture and Society, the world’s leading international journal in the field of sexuality.
Beyond academia, Kong’s research has had significant cultural and social impact. He received the Prism Award from the Hong Kong Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (2014), and the multi-awarded film Suk Suk (directed by Ray Yeung, 2019) is based on his book of oral histories from older gay men in Hong Kong.
His extensive community engagement includes serving as a board member of the Hong Kong Advisory Council on AIDS (2018-2023) and Principal Investigator of the HIV/AIDS Response Indicator Survey (HARiS) (2019-2020). Kong also founded Grey and Pride (previously Gay and Grey, 2014-)—a charity organization serving the well-being of older LGBT+ individuals in Hong Kong. In recognition of his long-term service to and research on Hong Kong’s LGBT+ community, Kong was awarded the LGBT+ Advocacy Award from Community Business in 2020 and appointed Rainbow Ambassador of the Hong Kong Pride Parade 2024–25.