A year after lawmakers veto equality bill, LGBTQ Hongkongers still hope for change
When Hong Kong’s Legislative Council vetoed a government bill that would have granted limited recognition to the city’s same-sex couples, 51-year-old Isaac Yick said he was “disappointed but not surprised”. Yick was born and raised in Hong Kong before moving to Canada, where he eventually met and married his husband. They returned to the city together in 2013. He said there was initially a sense…
One year after Hong Kong's Legislative Council vetoed a bill aiming to grant limited recognition to same-sex couples, LGBTQ residents in the city still harbor hopes for change. Isaac Yick, a 51-year-old Hongkonger who moved to Canada for marriage and returned to the city in 2013, expressed disappointment but noted that initial signs of progress included court victories that conferred rights for same-sex couples.
Despite the Court of Final Appeal's ruling in 2023 that the government had a positive obligation to recognize same-sex partnerships, Yick sensed that legal recognition was unlikely after the veto. The pace of change slowed significantly since the rejection of the bill, leaving the LGBTQ community in a state of uncertainty. Jerome Yau, CEO of the NGO Aids Concern, commented that there has been little progress since the veto and that the community is awaiting the government's next move.
The bill was intended to allow same-sex couples with valid marriages, partnerships, or civil unions registered outside Hong Kong to have their relationships recognized locally. However, it was rejected by 71 out of 87 lawmakers. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu stated that the government would explore administrative measures to protect LGBTQ rights, but no specific timeline or details were provided.
While some LGBTQ individuals have gained rights through court victories, significant gaps remain, and a report by A&O Shearman found 21 areas where legal treatment differs based on relationship status. Despite the lack of legal recognition for same-sex marriages in Hong Kong, some residents, like Mandy, a 40-year-old Hongkonger, remain hopeful that marriage abroad will one day be legally recognized in the city.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post - Hong Kong's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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