Human Rights groups slam Hong Kong lawmakers for rejecting gay rights bill: ‘Alarming disdain’

Lawmakers in Hong Kong have rejected a bill that would have granted limited rights to same-sex couples in the country.

The bill, which would have granted only limited rights to same-sex couples living in the country if they were married overseas, was met with opposition by 71 member of the Legislative Councils. It has 89 members.

In 2023, Hong Kong’s top court ordered the government to legally recognise same-sex relationships and gave them two years to enact legislation. However, an appeal with regard to bringing forward full marriage equality and recognition of same-sex marriages performed abroad was unanimously dismissed.

This recent bill was proposed by the government following that 2023 court ruling, which followed the rejection of the legalisation of same-sex marriage.

Human Rights watchdog Amnesty International has responded to the rejection of the bill in a statement, criticising the “disdain” shown for members of the LGBTQ+ community in Hong Kong.

“Today the Hong Kong authorities failed to address the inequality faced by same-sex couples in all areas of their lives. The proposed bill on same-sex partnerships was flawed, but in rejecting it lawmakers have shown an alarming disdain for LGBTI rights.”

It added: “Yet even a small step forward in rights for same-sex couples has proved unpalatable to the Legislative Council. It is a setback which shows just how far Hong Kong has to go before everyone in the city can enjoy equal rights.”

It has urged Hong Kong authorities to introduce a new, replacement bill.

Gay rights activist Jimmy Sham also lamented the ruling, calling it “deeply regrettable”. The bill originated in a legal challenge from Sham, who married his husband in 2013, in New York, and wants to garner official recognition of their union in Hong Kong.

According to the BBC, while Hong Kong’s top court shot this down in 2023, 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.

The bill – which has just failed – was the government’s attempt to fulfil this.

Had the bill passed, it would have granted same-sex couples married overseas limited rights, including the ability to visit a partner in hospital and make medical decisions.

Gay marriage is, unsurprisingly, still illegal in Hong Kong; in 2024, ten LGBTQ+ couples tied the knot in a mass wedding, despite their unions not being recognised by law.

Last year, Hong Kong’s highest court ruled in favour of Henry Tse and another trans activist, identified only as Q, meaning transgender men and women no longer have to undergo full gender-affirmation surgery before being allowed to change gender markers on their IDs. 

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