Grey is the colour of misplacement, the in-betweens of good and bad, right and wrong, true or false.

It is the smoke clouding judgments, the colour of feeling lost and unsure. It is rain pouring from the void above, crashing downwards, building yet destroying simultaneously, like insecurities and anxieties building up to the point of no return, and then utterly burning the strands of hope one could be desperately clutching onto. It is uneasiness, indecisiveness, faded and blurred memories, when ribs start caving in, leaving you breathless, helpless, defenseless. It is the moon, waning, offering nothing but a faint light. It is dark clouds reflected on a dusted mirror. It is a restriction, like painting on a canvas that has already been framed.

Grey is being mistaken for something that does not define you, being labeled as someone that’s not you. Grey is being held down by the monsters in your mind. Grey is being forced to confine yourself in horrid nightmares, unable to see the light everyone else can. But they are not the ones at fault, as grey also marks the attempts to step out into the sun, and being burnt by the words of hatred, disgust, and intolerance.

It is only when something truly terrible occurs when people shed a light on it, when a frigid sort of stillness washes over, as if the air had frozen. When all is said and all is done and published on the front pages of famed newspapers, sudden realisation hits.

In England, 52% of young LGBT individuals reported self-harm either recently or in the past while 44% of young LGBT people have considered suicide. (Gregor Henderson and Dr Justin Varney, 2017) Right at home in Hong Kong, about 30.9% of respondents experienced moderate or severe signs of depression and 25% with signs of anxiety. (Randolph C. H. Chan and Prof. Winnie W. S. Mak) They keep themselves hidden in the mist, afraid of what stepping out could mean.

Grey is invisible. Grey is overlooked. Grey is internal, and there is an urgent need protect, to free, to see with eyes unclouded what intolerance can do to a human being.

In a world where feeling grey is a norm, there is a need to spill vibrant colors and embrace people of all kinds.