Hong Kong is poised for a pivotal moment in its ongoing struggle over LGBTQ rights as lawmakers prepare to resume debate on the Registration of Same-sex Partnerships Bill on September 10, 2025. The outcome could have profound implications for the city’s same-sex couples, both those already in overseas partnerships and those still seeking legal recognition at home.
At the heart of the debate is a government proposal that would allow Hong Kong residents who have legally formed same-sex unions abroad to register their partnerships locally. If passed, this bill would grant these couples limited rights, specifically in areas such as medical decision-making and after-death arrangements. However, it stops short of allowing same-sex couples to enter into civil partnerships within Hong Kong itself, a limitation that has drawn criticism from both local advocates and international human rights organizations.
The urgency of the issue is underscored by a 2023 ruling from the Court of Final Appeal, which mandated that the government establish “an alternative framework” for recognizing same-sex partnerships by October 27, 2025. Chief Executive John Lee has made it clear that the government must comply with this ruling, warning that failure to do so could lead to “serious consequences,” according to reporting from Hong Kong Free Press.
Yet, the government’s proposal has met stiff resistance in the Legislative Council (LegCo). Most lawmakers have voiced opposition, arguing that even this limited recognition could undermine what they describe as “fundamental family values.” During deliberations by the bills committee in July, these concerns dominated the debate, with many legislators pushing back hard against what they perceive as a slippery slope toward legalizing same-sex marriage.
For Hong Kong’s LGBTQ community, the stakes could hardly be higher. On September 8, Dear Family Hong Kong, an advocacy group, published the results of a comprehensive survey capturing the daily challenges faced by LGBTQ residents due to the lack of legal recognition for their relationships. Of the 544 valid responses collected between May and August 2025, over 80 percent came from LGBTQ individuals. The findings were stark: 96 percent said that legal recognition of partnerships was “important” for obtaining legal protection, status, and social recognition. Nearly 70 percent reported experiencing difficulties because their relationships are not recognized by law. These challenges ranged from being unable to access spousal benefits and social services to facing hurdles with public housing applications, joint tax assessments, medical visitations, inheritance, and posthumous arrangements.
Perhaps most tellingly, 70 percent of respondents admitted to feeling anxious about their future in Hong Kong, while 63 percent said they would not stay in the city for the long term if legal recognition remained out of reach. As Dear Family Hong Kong summarized in its executive report, “Hong Kong needs to demonstrate its inclusivity and forward-thinking to attract international talent and investment to continue competing with surrounding regions like Singapore.” The group also highlighted that the city’s judicial system has long been aligned with international standards, which it described as a “unique and positive part of ‘telling the Hong Kong story well.’”
Despite the decriminalization of gay sex in 1991, Hong Kong still lacks laws protecting LGBTQ people from discrimination in employment, the provision of goods and services, or hate speech. Equal marriage remains illegal, even though a 2023 survey found that 60 percent of Hongkongers supported it. In recent years, courts have granted limited recognition to same-sex couples married or in civil partnerships abroad, extending rights such as spousal visas, public housing, and joint tax assessments. But a comprehensive legal framework remains elusive.
The current bill’s limitations have not gone unnoticed beyond Hong Kong’s borders. On September 9, Amnesty Hong Kong Overseas and 30 LGBTI rights groups from across Asia issued a joint letter to Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai. The letter, co-signed by organizations such as ILGA Asia and the Asia Feminist LBQ Network, urged the government to establish a legal framework that fully recognizes and protects same-sex partnerships. The signatories pointed to regional examples, noting, “Hong Kong’s current Bill lags far behind the frameworks adopted in Nepal, Taiwan and Thailand in recent years. These examples demonstrate that there is no contradiction between recognizing same-sex partnerships and upholding Asia or ‘traditional’ values.”
The joint letter went further, criticizing the government’s proposal as falling “significantly short of international human rights standards.” It called on the administration to fulfill its obligations under international treaties and local laws, as well as the guarantees enshrined in the Basic Law and the Hong Kong Bills of Rights Ordinance. The signatories demanded that the government publicly disclose a contingency plan should the bill fail to pass before the court-imposed deadline, and to immediately introduce a revised legislative proposal that fully complies with both the court’s ruling and international human rights standards.
According to Amnesty and its partners, the bill’s narrow scope—allowing only those with valid same-sex partnerships registered overseas to register in Hong Kong, and restricting rights to medical and posthumous matters—fails to provide the comprehensive protections needed. “While branding itself as a free, open, and Asia’s world city that attracts global talent, the Hong Kong government has not only failed to keep pace with the regional trend toward equality and improve its related laws and policies to build a more inclusive and equal society—it has also proposed a Bill that falls significantly short of international human rights standards,” the letter stated.
Hong Kong’s journey toward LGBTQ equality has been marked by incremental legal victories but persistent legislative inertia. The government’s current proposal is the product of years of court battles and public debate, but for many advocates, it represents a missed opportunity to bring the city in line with its neighbors and its own professed values. As the LegCo prepares to cast its vote, the eyes of both the local community and the wider region are watching closely.
For same-sex couples in Hong Kong, the coming days could determine not just their legal rights, but their sense of belonging in a city that has long prided itself on its openness and cosmopolitan spirit. The debate over the Registration of Same-sex Partnerships Bill is more than a legislative battle—it is a test of Hong Kong’s commitment to equality, inclusion, and the rule of law.