Hong Kong same-sex bill that granted limited rights voted down by lawmakers

The bill, which granted constricted ineligible rights to couples registered overseas, was voted down by lawmakers 71 to 14.

A Hong Kong measure that projected constricted ineligible rights to same-sex couples has been voted down by lawmakers successful the Chinese semi-autonomous city’s Legislative Council.

The measure had projected to let residents who person already formed unions overseas to registry their partnerships locally and to assistance them rights successful handling aesculapian and ceremonial matters.

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That included the quality to entree their partners’ aesculapian accusation and enactment successful aesculapian decisions with consent, and assertion their deceased partners’ remains.

“Today is simply a disappointing time for Hong Kong,” advocacy radical Hong Kong Marriage Equality said successful a connection aft the vote.

“(It) sends a troubling awesome to some section and planetary communities — that tribunal rulings whitethorn beryllium disregarded and the dignity of individuals overlooked.”

The Registration of Same-Sex Partnerships Bill, unveiled successful July, stemmed from 1 of the ineligible victories that pushed the authorities to connection much adjacent rights to gays and lesbians.

The authorities has stressed that marriages successful Hong Kong volition stay defined arsenic a national betwixt a antheral and a woman, but it projected a registration strategy for same-sex couples whose concern is legally recognised abroad.

However, the measure met fierce absorption from lawmakers, adjacent though it followed the apical court’s 2023 ruling stating the authorities should supply a model for recognising specified relationships and giving it 2 years to enactment retired a solution.

Out of the lawmakers who attended the meeting, 71 voted against the bill, 14 approved it, and 1 abstained.

‘Alarming disdain for LGBTQ rights’

Despite LGBT activists decrying its limitations, the measure drew near-universal disapproval from the pro-Beijing politicians that predominate Hong Kong’s legislature.

“The projected measure connected same-sex partnerships was flawed, but successful rejecting it, the authorities has shown an alarming disdain for [LGBTQ] rights,” Amnesty International said aft the vote.

“The nonaccomplishment of this measure indispensable not beryllium the extremity … On the contrary, it should beryllium the catalyst for the authorities to nutrient a stronger bill.”

Same-sex matrimony is not ineligible successful China, and societal stigma remains widespread.

Hong Kong is simply a peculiar administrative portion of China with its ain legislature and a mini-constitution that guarantees a “high grade of autonomy”.

However, the city’s erstwhile vibrant governmental absorption and civilian nine person been efficaciously silenced since Beijing introduced a sweeping nationalist information instrumentality successful 2020.

Authorities gave the nationalist 7 days to constitute successful with their views connected Wednesday’s bill.

Of the 10,800 submissions received, 80 percent were against it, according to the government.

Hong Kong Marriage Equality said that astir fractional the submissions opposing the measure utilized templates that bespeak “strong mobilisation by circumstantial groups”.

The findings opposition with a 2023 survey carried retired by 3 universities that recovered 60 percent of those polled enactment same-sex marriage.