Hong Kong Legislature Closes Door to Same Sex Partnerships

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fountainhall

Hong Kong Legislature Closes Door to Same Sex Partnerships

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In a close vote yesterday, Hong Kong's legislators voted down a proposal that would merely have opened the door to studying the idea of civil unions for gay couples. The lawmakers' only openly gay member Raymond Chan had put forward the proposal. It was rejected by 27 to 24 votes. This despite several polls, including the latest one by Hong Kong University, showing that more than half the population would support gay marriage.

At a time when several countries in the region are considering civil unions and even, in Taiwan, gay marriage, the Hong Kong government's long-held colonial attitudes will not allow it even to support studies into same-sex unions. In the debate, one legislator, Holden Chow Ho-ding, even went as far as to warn "that society would pay a high price if it followed 'Western traditions'”.

Another legislator shot this view down.
“What you are safeguarding is the concept of Christianity, not traditional Chinese values,” [Regina Ip] said. “Please take a closer look at the issue.”

Ip pointed out that polygamy had only been banned in Hong Kong in 1972 after a long history in Chinese culture. Leung was mistaken if she believed she was safeguarding traditional values, Ip said.

The former security minister and Executive Council member urged officials to respect the views of the younger generation, who she said were more open to homosexuality.
The result of the vote seems to be a reaction to the decision of the Court of Final Appeal in July to permit the granting of spousal visas to the same-sex partners of foreign workers in the city – a privilege previously only available to heterosexual couples.

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/soc ... hong-kongs
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