Immigration has discretionary powers. They can approve dependant visa for same sex couples, if they so decide. No laws need to be changed.
Overseas same sex marriages should be recognised
Same sex marriages should be possible in Hong Kong
Does it matter?
No, marriage is just for men and women
Immigration has discretionary powers. They can approve dependant visa for same sex couples, if they so decide. No laws need to be changed.
Have heard this a couple of times. Curious... how does this get approved when they insist that only spouses, kids and elderly parents can be classified as dependents?
Long term stay visas is fine .. but dependents visa on a discretionary basis for same sex couples? People say this happens, but not one person has pin pointed what the application / discretionary / appeals process was.
"One of the most progressive"? Gay sex was only decriminalized in the mid-2000s, and only after direct challenge in the courts. I moved to HK in 2005 and was shocked when I read about the case challenging the ban on gay sex by anyone under 21--I couldn't believe that such a law was still in place (Asia's World City indeed). I agree with earlier comments--it's not progressiveness so much as apathy. There are obviously many groups fighting for human rights in HK in various ways, but I don't get the sense that it's something the general public is interested in apart from the ongoing political battles.
"Should Hong Kong recognise same sex marriage?"
This is a NON question.
The answer is YES (locally or internationnaly).
The question should be "When should HK recognise same sex marriage?"
And the answeer would be ASAP.
Next query EC.
Thanks for the correction. I was basing my shock on the following:
"In 2006, the Hong Kong Court of Appeal held that Hong Kong’s disparate age-of-consent laws for anal and vaginal sex violated the Basic Law and Bill of Rights (Leung v. Secretary for Justice). In that case, the court set important legal precedent, treating sexual orientation discrimination as a matter equally as grave as discrimination on the bases of race and sex (Lau 2008). In 2007, the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal applied similar reasoning to hold that, by punishing public indecency by same-sex couples and opposite-sex couples unequally, the criminal code violated the Basic Law and Bill of Rights (Secretary for Justice v. Yau Yuk Lung Zigo and Another). Finally, in 2008, the High Court of Hong Kong held that the government broadcasting authority impermissibly discriminated when it objected to a television documentary on same-sex couples (Cho Man Kit v. Broadcasting Authority)."
Source: https://www.law.hku.hk/ccpl/EmployRe...LauStotzer.pdf
De-criminalization may have occurred in 1991, but gays and lesbians were clearly not treated equally in the eyes of the law. It took more than 15 years for public indecency laws to be equally granted to heterosexuals and homosexuals. That is not the mark of a progressive city.
Last edited by megatronic; 18-05-2015 at 05:33 PM.
Honeslty it depends.
Yes HK is supposed to be a Global City but honeslty it is in Aisa (not the most progressist societies) and right smack next to China. To top it of, I think in the mid/late nighties they were a lot more preoccuppied about the handover than about the gay and lesbian rights.
This is not an excuse and in my view homosexual mariages should be recognised asap but let's not forget also that HK has changed hands in between and that end of the day it is in Asia....a lot less open overall that many western societies.
.