Once Leslie relaunched his music career, he was not shy about projecting a flamboyant image in his videos and on stage. Here is the opening of the 1997 World Concert Tour. A series of unveilings takes place in quick succession. First the sides of the crystal pyramid (patterned after a similar crystal pyramid at the Louvre Museum in Paris) open to reveal Leslie enveloped in a glittering cloak. His face is covered by a flamboyant red feathered mask, such as you would see in the Venice Carnival. Removing the mask, Leslie reveals his face to the audience. As they applaud, Leslie breaks into a knowing smile and hands the mask to an attendant, who is dressed like a faun. This is a very queer opening, indeed!

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yh2QVKmTxjM

When he went to Guangzhou in 1997, Leslie transformed himself through long hair and makeup to channel the feminine more than on any other date of the tour. All we have are stills of this show, no video. It is interesting to note that at that time it was forbidden (i.e., against the law) for men to wear long hair in Guangzhou. No one can tell me if Leslie intentionally wore long hair in open defiance of this ban, or if he was, in fact, unaware of the law.

Leslie released an openly gay-themed video for the song "Grieving Man," on his Red album. Perhaps the sub-title of this video should be:  Boys Just Want to Have Fun! It is interesting to note that many of the costumes that appear in this video were worn by Leslie's dancers in the 1997 World Concert Tour and his own costumes (and tattoo on his chest) are also from that production. While the video is light-hearted, it also openly acknowledges Hong Kong's gay club culture. In this video, Leslie places himself in the midst of this subculture and does not shy away from being identified with it.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7n9ZxqZwcco&feature=related

Leslie continued to play with gender roles and expectations in his music videos for songs on the Red album. In "Blamefully Beautiful," Leslie plays a victim sexual harassment. The video clearly represents this harassment as an abuse of power, where sexual dominance is used to enforce the social hierarchy. When a new young woman joins the office staff, her subordinate, Leslie, attempts to initiate a relationship with her, but he is quickly put in his place by the boss. The alliance of the women at the end of the video can be interpreted as solidarity to preserve the status quo and keep men in a powerless and subordinate position. By reversing the roles (and power) of the sexes, this video becomes a biting commentary on sexual exploitation of women and abuse of power as the normative condition in heterosexual society.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcYAe2mT4ds&feature=channel_video_title

Leslie continued to bring a gay visibility to some of his music videos throughout the nineties. As a kind of tune-up for the Passion Tour, he remade his image for the "Big Heat" video. He adopted a more colorful and flamboyant look with long hair and designer costumes similar to the ones that would become a hallmark of the Passion Tour.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUz63Bmfu3U&playnext=1&list=PL777FA1EA73971211

Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmVn7YdnDOA

But Leslie's most personal statement of his sexual difference has to be the song "I".  The song begins, "I am what I am,"  a proud statement of self acceptance and an acknowledge of difference. Leslie was very clear in talking with his lyricist, Lam Jihk, that this would be the first line of the song (in English) for both the Cantonese and the Mandarin versions . (The lyrics do vary somewhat between the two versions and Leslie came to prefer the lyrics of the Mandarin version and performed that version exclusively in the Passion Tour shows.)

Below are the lyrics to the Mandarin version of the song.

Standing alone on stage at the end of the concert, barefoot and dressed in nothing but a white bathrobe with his long hair pulled back, Leslie faces his fans virtually naked, baring now not only his body, but also his soul to the audience. Utterly honest and unadorned, simply and sincerely, Leslie declares to the world his difference, and his total acceptance of who and what he is.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSirijfZXdA&feature=related