Hong Kong lawmakers have rejected a bill to extend legal rights to same-sex couples in a disappointing loss for the LGBTQ+ community. According to the New York Times, 71 of 89 Legislative Council members in the territory voted against the measure, which would have allow same-sex couples to register civil unions.
Holden Chow, vice chair of the city’s largest pro-Beijing party apparently warned that enacting the bill could “result in dire consequences” for traditional Chinese family values. Chow also voiced concern over the resulting “issues” the new bill might introduce, saying it might open a “Pandora’s box.”
If the bill had passed, same-sex couples would have enjoyed rights offered to straight couples, including making medical decisions on each other’s behalf. Or in the case of a death, civil partners would be able to make decisions for their partner’s burials, cremation, or keeping of ashes. Though the bill didn’t pass, a study published in 2023 revealed that 60% of Hong Kong residents support same-sex marriage and the city has been hosting pride parades since 2008.
Hong Kong was ordered to establish a legal framework for the registration of same-sex couples and partnerships back in 2023 by the Hong Kong Court of Appeal. The case was initially brought forward by Hong Kong resident and activist Jimmy Sham who was fighting for protections for same-sex couples back in 2018. When the court ruled in Sham’s favor, they claimed the government needed to dispel “any sense that they belong to an inferior class of persons whose relationship is undeserving of recognition.
The territory has been in hot water these past few months, facing pressure from the LGBTQ+ community as the Court of Final Appeal’s deadline approached, forcing lawmakers to make a more final decision before Oct. 27.
As a result of the Legislative Council rejecting the bill, same-sex couples will be unable to register their partnerships in the territory, despite the hopes of advocacy groups like Hong Kong Marriage Equality, which has been urging the government to reintroduce the bill following legislative council elections in December, the NYT reports.
Hong Kong’s secretary for constitutional affairs, Erick Tsang, told the media that the government would not be seeking an extension of the Court of Appeal’s imposed deadline for the legislation, but that next steps were being considered with the Department of Justice.
