HONG KONG: Hong Kong lawmakers rejected yesterday a bill that would have granted limited rights to same-sex couples, with the legislature’s conservative pro-Beijing voices prevailing to deal a major blow to the city’s LGBTQ community.
Hong Kong’s government proposed legislation this summer to recognise some rights for same-sex partners, but only for those whose unions are registered abroad.
Despite LGBTQ activists decrying its limitations, the proposal drew near-universal criticism from the pro-Beijing politicians that dominate Hong Kong’s legislature.
The bill would have granted registered same-sex couples more rights in medical-related matters and after-death arrangements —for example, visiting a partner in hospital or claiming their body after death.
The government has stressed that marriages in Hong Kong will remain defined as a union between a man and a woman, but in July proposed a registration system for same-sex couples whose partnership is legally recognised abroad.
“The proposed bill on same-sex partnerships was flawed, but in rejecting it the government has shown an alarming disdain for (LGBTQ) rights,” Amnesty International said after the vote.
“The failure of this bill must not be the end… On the contrary, it should be the catalyst for the authorities to produce a stronger bill.”
The current batch of Hong Kong lawmakers had never before shot down a government bill.
But in a rare rift, the city’s top three pro-establishment parties condemned this proposal, saying it defied traditional family values.
Same-sex marriage is not legal in China and social stigma remains widespread. – AFP
