In brief
The Hong Kong Legislative Council has rejected a bill aimed at recognizing certain rights for same-sex couples, disappointing activists and advocates for LGBTQ rights in the region. Proposed to align with a 2023 court ruling, the bill intended to introduce a registration system for couples married abroad, allowing rights such as hospital visitation and medical decision-making. The rejection has drawn criticism from human rights groups and signifies a growing rift between the local legislature and the government amidst rising public support for LGBTQ rights.
Lawmakers in Hong Kong have rejected a controversial bill that would have granted limited rights to same-sex couples, in a blow to the city's gay rights movement.
The law, which would have recognised some rights for couples who were married overseas, was opposed by 71 of the city's 89-member Legislative Council (LegCo).
It was proposed by the government to comply with a 2023 court ruling, following the rejection of an attempt to legalise same-sex marriage.
While the city has in recent years been perceived as becoming gay-friendly, it has limited rights for the estimated 6% of the adult population who identify as LGBTQ. Recent polls suggest there is rising support towards the community.
Human rights group Amnesty International criticised the rejection of the bill, saying that it showed an alarming disdain for LGBTQ rights, and urged Hong Kong authorities to introduce a new and revised bill.
Hong Kong LGBTQ rights activist Jimmy Sham said it was deeply regrettable that the bill did not pass and that the government's inability to protect same-sex couples rights would remain an open wound.
The bill stemmed from a long-running legal challenge to legalise same-sex marriage initiated by Sham, who had wanted official recognition of his marriage to his husband. The pair were married in New York in 2013.
The Hong Kong's top court shot this down in 2023, but in a partial victory for activists, the Court of Final Appeal said at the time that the Hong Kong government had to formulate an alternative framework within two years to recognise unions between members of the same sex.
This year's bill was an attempt by the Hong Kong government to fulfil this legal obligation.
It proposed a registration system for same-sex couples who were married or had civil unions overseas, and that these couples would have some rights - including the right to hospital visits and to make medical decisions for a spouse.
The city's chief executive John Lee had backed this bill and urged LegCo to pass it, warning that a rejection would violate Hong Kong's rule of law and bring about serious consequences.
But the bill had been criticised by both LGBTQ activists - who viewed it as insufficient in creating an alternative framework - and by members of the LegCo - who said the proposal went against traditional family values and paved the way for the legalisation of same-sex marriage.
Wednesday's rejection means the government will have to go back to the drawing board, with little time to meet its 27 October deadline.
Polling indicates rising support for same-sex marriages among the Hong Kong public, with a recent survey revealing that 60% are in favour, up from 38% a decade ago.
