Hong Kong to seek administrative measures to protect same-sex couple rights

Hong Kong authorities are considering administrative measures to protect the rights of same-sex couples after a bill to recognise such partnerships was rejected by the legislature, the city leader has said.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu also said on Tuesday the ill-fated Registration of Same-sex Partnerships Bill had actually shown that the Legislative Council was not a “rubber stamp”, as some “unfairly” suggested.

Last week, Legco vetoed the government’s bill, which would have recognised same-sex partnerships in the city and granted some core rights to couples in line with a landmark court ruling from 2023.

It marked the first time a government bill had failed to get Legco’s green light since Beijing overhauled the city’s electoral system to have only “patriots administering Hong Kong”.

Before a meeting of the city’s top decision-making body, the Executive Council, Lee told reporters that same-sex partnerships remained a “contentious issue” in Hong Kong.

“One thing is very clear: the only marriage that is recognised under the Basic Law is heterosexual. That principle has not and will not change,” he said, referring to the city’s mini-constitution.