LGBTQ organisations in Hong Kong have called for “real consultations” on a government-proposed framework to recognise same-sex partnerships, even as widespread opposition from lawmakers threatens to derail the plan.

The groups said on Sunday that the reaction from legislators was “not surprising” but the “hostility” had prompted some people to leave the city altogether.

In a paper submitted to the legislature last week, the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau proposed allowing same-sex couples to apply to have their relationship recognised in Hong Kong if they had first registered it in another jurisdiction.

While the framework was in accordance with a landmark ruling by the Court of Final Appeal in 2023, lawmakers in the Legislative Council hit out at the plan, fuelling speculation that it could hit a dead end.

So far, at least 41 members of the 89-strong legislature – including those from the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, the Business and Professionals Alliance, the Federation of Trade Unions and the Liberal Party – have indicated their objection to the proposal.

One of the only lawmakers to express support was Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, the convenor of the key decision-making Executive Council, who has said she and five other members of her New People’s Party will vote in favour of the eventual legislation.

Francis Tang Yiu-kwong, founder of advocacy group Gay Harmony, said he was not surprised about the resistance to the proposal in Legco, as he felt most lawmakers in recent years were opposed to same-sex marriage.

Lobbying efforts over LGBTQ issues had also become increasingly difficult, he added.

“Almost all the council members share … a similar position,” he said.

Among the few political parties in Hong Kong to have openly supported LGBTQ issues in the past was the League of Social Democrats, an opposition group that disbanded last month after 19 years, citing political pressure.

Activist Jimmy Sham Tsz-kit, who was a member of the party, had filed the judicial challenge that eventually led to the top court finding the government had violated the city’s Bill of Rights by failing to provide some form of legal recognition for same-sex couples.

But Tang said that some in the LGBTQ community did not feel the government’s proposal went far enough to ensure the basic needs of same-sex couples were met.

Given the widespread opposition, Tang said he felt the most probable scenario would be for the government to postpone the legislation. He hoped “real consultations” could then be conducted.

“Actually, we may have the chance to have a real conversation with the government on this, because we haven’t had the chance yet,” he said.

On Friday, Covenant of the Rainbow, a coalition of LGBTQ-friendly Hong Kong religious organisations, also called for the government to immediately launch consultations with same-sex couples on the proposed framework and for Legco’s Bills Committee to hold public hearings on the matter.

Pastor Cheng Tsz-Hong of the Blessed Ministry Community Church, an LGBTQ-friendly congregation and member of the coalition, said it was “deeply disappointed” by the lawmakers’ reactions and “deeply concerned” about the proposal being vetoed.

“But beyond the policy itself, what has truly wounded our community is the hostility of the public debate,” he said.

Members of the congregation had expressed worries in the past few days, while some had decided to simply leave the city, Cheng said.

“This is not just a policy issue. It is a message about who belongs in this city,” he said.

Cheng said the ministry appreciated authorities’ efforts to respond to the apex court’s ruling, but it was concerned about the lack of direct consultations with the LGBTQ community.

He urged the government to establish an independent advisory body including LGBTQ individuals, rights advocates, legal professionals, and religious voices from diverse perspectives.

“Such a platform would enable meaningful dialogue and more inclusive policymaking,” he said.

The government’s proposed mechanism would grant same-sex couples some rights, such as those related to medical and after-death matters, but the government paper submitted to Legco expressly stated the framework would not be equivalent to marriage.

In Hong Kong, gay sex was decriminalised in 1991, but same-sex couples have never had legal recognition, owing to a strict legal definition of marriage as being between a man and a woman.

But numerous judicial challenges over the past decade have resulted in some protections. – SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST