The fight to lift the barrier to same-sex equality in Hong Kong
Rights group argue that public perceptions of sexual minorities in the city have shifted and that legislation should be implemented accordingly to offer the most basic protections
Many Hongkongers support allowing same-sex couples to ask about their partner’s medical condition and claim their ashes after they die, yet the city still does not recognise such rights and continues to fall behind on LGBTI equality.
A study by the Chinese University of Hong Kong showed that 54 per cent of the public support the right of same-sex couples in a long-term stable relationship to ask doctors about their partner’s medical conditions, while less than 20 per cent were opposed. About 64 per cent also agreed that they should be able to claim their deceased partner’s ashes, and less than 10 per cent disagreed. The study polled 1,013 Chinese-speaking people aged 18 and above.
“Why is it not important for same-sex couples to be buried together, or to be able to share the last part of their life together if they are in an emergency medical situation? We are second-class citizens. It’s heartbreaking,” Tommy Chen, executive officer of local LGBTI group Rainbow of Hong Kong, said. “It’s just a shame and makes Hong Kong look ugly.”
Gay rights in Asia came under the spotlight last month with the suspected suicide of a gay professor in Taiwan – an event that provoked widespread outrage and could propel Taiwan into becoming the first in the region to legalise same-sex marriage.
Friends believe that Frenchman Jacques Picoux committed suicide as a result of depression following the death of his Taiwanese partner of 35 years last year, the Guardian reported. Picoux was denied the right to participate in vital medical decisions during his partner’s final moments and was left afterwards with no legal claim over the property they shared.
