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Friday, May 09, 2025
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Increasing support for same-sex couple rights and gay marriage
More Hongkongers support same-sex couple rights, with 60 percent saying they are pro-gay marriage, a survey has found.
Revealing results on International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia yesterday, the report - by the University of Hong Kong, The Chinese University of Hong Kong and University of North Carolina - found SAR citizens have drastically changed their views on gay rights over the past decade.
The report is jointly issued by the Centre for Comparative and Public Law at the Faculty of Law, the University of Hong Kong; the Sexualities Research Program at The Chinese University of Hong Kong; and the Human Rights Law Program at the University of North Carolina School of Law.
The report shows that 60 percent of Hong Kong people said they supported same-sex marriage, while only 17 percent said they were not supportive, and 23 percent were neutral.
In a report in 2017, 50.4 percent supported same-sex marriage and in 2013, 38 percent did so.
Only 6 percent of people disagreed with having legislation to protect against sexual orientation discrimination in the latest report.
The percentage of Hong Kong people who said gay men and lesbians were not acceptable dropped nearly 20 percentage points between 2013 and 2023.
The report said that reasons for this shift in public opinions include Hong Kong court rulings that protect same-sex couples, the growing list of jurisdictions around the world that have legalised same-sex marriage, and growing representation of lesbians and gay men in local and global media.
However, Kelley Loper of HKU said: "Although 71 percent of Hong Kong people said they favor having a law to protect against sexual orientation discrimination, the government of Hong Kong has yet to enact such legislation. Same-sex couples also continue to be excluded from marriage, despite majority support."
This year, the Court of Final Appeal allowed two transgender men to change the gender on their identity cards without undergoing full sex-reassignment surgery.
Tse Henry Edward and another trans man identified as Q in court had undergone hormonal treatment and removed their breasts, but were previously told by the Immigration Department that they had to remove their uterus and ovaries or install an artificial penis before they could change the gender on their ID cards.
The Court of Final Appeal granted the two rights to change their gender on their ID cards, though their legal gender remains unchanged, and same-sex marriages are still not legally recognized in Hong Kong.
The report is jointly issued by the Centre for Comparative and Public Law at the Faculty of Law, the University of Hong Kong; the Sexualities Research Program at The Chinese University of Hong Kong; and the Human Rights Law Program at the University of North Carolina School of Law.
The report shows that 60 percent of Hong Kong people said they supported same-sex marriage, while only 17 percent said they were not supportive, and 23 percent were neutral.
In a report in 2017, 50.4 percent supported same-sex marriage and in 2013, 38 percent did so.
Only 6 percent of people disagreed with having legislation to protect against sexual orientation discrimination in the latest report.
The percentage of Hong Kong people who said gay men and lesbians were not acceptable dropped nearly 20 percentage points between 2013 and 2023.
The report said that reasons for this shift in public opinions include Hong Kong court rulings that protect same-sex couples, the growing list of jurisdictions around the world that have legalised same-sex marriage, and growing representation of lesbians and gay men in local and global media.
However, Kelley Loper of HKU said: "Although 71 percent of Hong Kong people said they favor having a law to protect against sexual orientation discrimination, the government of Hong Kong has yet to enact such legislation. Same-sex couples also continue to be excluded from marriage, despite majority support."
This year, the Court of Final Appeal allowed two transgender men to change the gender on their identity cards without undergoing full sex-reassignment surgery.
Tse Henry Edward and another trans man identified as Q in court had undergone hormonal treatment and removed their breasts, but were previously told by the Immigration Department that they had to remove their uterus and ovaries or install an artificial penis before they could change the gender on their ID cards.
The Court of Final Appeal granted the two rights to change their gender on their ID cards, though their legal gender remains unchanged, and same-sex marriages are still not legally recognized in Hong Kong.
