Hong Kong legislature rejects bill on same-sex partnerships

[ad_1] Lawmakers in Hong Kong on Wednesday roundly rejected a invoice that might have granted restricted recognition to same-sex partnerships within the metropolis, disappointing backers within the LGBTQ+ neighborhood.

Video: Hong Kong legislature rejects invoice on same-sex partnerships (RFA) Opposition was staunch: of the lawmakers current, 71 voted in opposition to the measure, 14 supported it and one abstained.

The laws, unveiled by the federal government in July, would have created a registration system that might permit same-sex {couples} with unions which are authorized in abroad jurisdictions entry to rights corresponding to hospital visitation. The measure adopted a 2023 ruling in Hong Kong’s prime court docket that town should present a framework to acknowledge same-sex relationships. The court docket gave metropolis leaders a two-year deadline.

Legislator Holden Chow, vice chair of the pro-Beijing Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, mentioned the invoice’s passage would imply opening “a Pandora’s field” and “subverting Hong Kong’s marriage system between one man and one girl.”

<img data-chromatic="ignore" alt="“I feel very disappointed and also my community feels disappointed too. But I want to tell the people, today is not the end game,” said Hong Kong activist Jimmy Sham outside the Legislative Council Building in Hong Kong, Sept. 10, 2025." class="c-image" loading="lazy" src="https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/WQMLLEMKRJEOZHE72LQKX3FV64.JPG?auth=6760b60e9dcd7faf66fbfb9b5d7972d4b6b59cf6991bb51318c01c9ef74c4632&width=800&height=533" srcset="https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/WQMLLEMKRJEOZHE72LQKX3FV64.JPG?auth=6760b60e9dcd7faf66fbfb9b5d7972d4b6b59cf6991bb51318c01c9ef74c4632&width=274&height=182 274w, https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/WQMLLEMKRJEOZHE72LQKX3FV64.JPG?auth=6760b60e9dcd7faf66fbfb9b5d7972d4b6b59cf6991bb51318c01c9ef74c4632&width=400&height=266 400w, https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/WQMLLEMKRJEOZHE72LQKX3FV64.JPG?auth=6760b60e9dcd7faf66fbfb9b5d7972d4b6b59cf6991bb51318c01c9ef74c4632&width=768&height=511 768w, https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/WQMLLEMKRJEOZHE72LQKX3FV64.JPG?auth=6760b60e9dcd7faf66fbfb9b5d7972d4b6b59cf6991bb51318c01c9ef74c4632&width=1024&height=682 1024w, https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/WQMLLEMKRJEOZHE72LQKX3FV64.JPG?auth=6760b60e9dcd7faf66fbfb9b5d7972d4b6b59cf6991bb51318c01c9ef74c4632&width=1440&height=959 1440w" width="800" height="533"/> hong-kong-same-sex-partnerships “I really feel very disenchanted and in addition my neighborhood feels disenchanted too. However I wish to inform the individuals, at the moment is just not the tip recreation,” mentioned Hong Kong activist Jimmy Sham outdoors the Legislative Council Constructing in Hong Kong, Sept. 10, 2025. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters) LGBTQ+ rights activists had criticized the invoice for making too little progress towards full recognition for same-sex marriages.

Jimmy Shan, whose court docket case to led to the 2023 ruling, mentioned Wednesday that he hoped same-sex marriage recognition would come to Hong Kong ultimately.