No gay marriage for Hong Kong Brits

By Marc Shoffman • April 17, 2006 - 0:00

According to the UK Civil Partnership Act, all “British nationals“ can register for a same-sex civil union in a British embassy or consulate, as long as the local law agrees (Photo: David Cushing)

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Gay British nationals in Hong Kong will not be allowed civil partnerships, a consulate spokeswoman announced yesterday.

The British consulate office in Hong Kong declared on its website, the Hong Kong government "does not consider it appropriate to agree to the registration of civil partnerships of same-sex couples at the British Consulate-General Hong Kong at present."

Lily Chen, a Home Affairs Bureau spokeswoman, said the decision was made because the Hong Kong government is still deciding on laws covering gay discrimination.

According to the UK Civil Partnership Act, all "British nationals" can register for a same-sex civil union in a British embassy or consulate, as long as the local law agrees.

Homosexuality was decriminalised in Hong Kong in 1991.

There has been no objection to similar requests in British embassies in Japan, Vietnam, Venezuela, Turkmenistan, Colombia and Belarus.

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