The Hong Kong government’s proposal to create a legal framework for registering same-sex partnerships has sparked unusual controversy in the territory’s opposition-free legislature.

The debate follows a September 2023 Court of Final Appeal ruling, which ordered the government to establish such a system but stopped short of recognizing same-sex marriage.

The government in July published the Registration of Same-Sex Partnerships Bill and introduced it for a first reading in the Legislative Council, where a committee is now reviewing it. Chief Executive John Lee has urged lawmakers to support the measure to comply with a court order, but more than half of legislators have indicated they will oppose or abstain.

Under the proposal, only same-sex couples who are already married or in a civil

See Full Page