The invoice, which granted restricted authorized rights to {couples} registered abroad, was voted down by lawmakers 71 to 14.
Printed On 10 Sep 2025
A Hong Kong invoice that proposed restricted authorized rights to same-sex {couples} has been voted down by lawmakers within the Chinese language semi-autonomous metropolis’s Legislative Council.
The invoice had proposed to permit residents who’ve already fashioned unions abroad to register their partnerships domestically and to grant them rights in dealing with medical and funeral issues.
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That included the power to entry their companions’ medical info and take part in medical choices with consent, and declare their deceased companions’ stays.
“In the present day is a disappointing day for Hong Kong,” advocacy group Hong Kong Marriage Equality mentioned in a press release after the vote.
“(It) sends a troubling sign to each native and worldwide communities — that court docket rulings could also be disregarded and the dignity of people missed.”
The Registration of Identical-Intercourse Partnerships Invoice, unveiled in July, stemmed from one of many authorized victories that pushed the federal government to supply extra equal rights to gays and lesbians.
The federal government has pressured that marriages in Hong Kong will stay outlined as a union between a person and a girl, however it proposed a registration system for same-sex {couples} whose partnership is legally recognised overseas.
Nevertheless, the invoice met fierce opposition from lawmakers, regardless that it adopted the highest court docket’s 2023 ruling stating the federal government ought to present a framework for recognising such relationships and giving it two years to work out an answer.
Out of the lawmakers who attended the assembly, 71 voted in opposition to the invoice, 14 authorised it, and one abstained.
‘Alarming disdain for LGBTQ rights’
Regardless of LGBT activists decrying its limitations, the invoice drew near-universal criticism from the pro-Beijing politicians that dominate Hong Kong’s legislature.
“The proposed invoice on same-sex partnerships was flawed, however in rejecting it, the federal government has proven an alarming disdain for [LGBTQ] rights,” Amnesty Worldwide mentioned after the vote.
“The failure of this invoice should not be the top … Quite the opposite, it must be the catalyst for the authorities to supply a stronger invoice.”
Identical-sex marriage isn’t authorized in China, and social stigma stays widespread.
Hong Kong is a particular administrative area of China with its personal legislature and a mini-constitution that ensures a “excessive diploma of autonomy”.
Nevertheless, the town’s as soon as vibrant political opposition and civil society have been successfully silenced since Beijing launched a sweeping nationwide safety legislation in 2020.
Authorities gave the general public seven days to write down in with their views on Wednesday’s invoice.
Of the ten,800 submissions obtained, 80 p.c have been in opposition to it, in response to the federal government.
Hong Kong Marriage Equality mentioned that round half the submissions opposing the invoice used templates that point out “robust mobilisation by particular teams”.
The findings distinction with a 2023 survey carried out by three universities that discovered 60 p.c of these polled assist same-sex marriage.
