Fridae

Hong Kong Free Press reports that just days after Taiwan became the first jurisdiction in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage, the new head of Hong Kong’s equal opportunities watchdog has said it is “impractical” to try and bring about the same result during his tenure.

Ricky Chu, who was appointed to head the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) last month, said that the debate over legalising same-sex marriage in Hong Kong “will not yield practical results,” even if there was a protracted discussion. Asked if he would support a motion in the legislature calling for further study into the possibility of same-sex unions, Chu said he would not. The non-binding motion, which was proposed by Hong Kong’s first openly gay lawmaker Ray Chan, was voted down last November. Chu said he wanted to focus on safeguarding LGBT rights on the level of individuals, saying that there was less resistance to such legislation. Areas such as employment, using public services and receiving education would be good places to start during his three-year term, he added.

Brian Leung, host of the radio show and the chief operating officer of LGBT rights group BigLove Alliance, said that he was “totally taken aback” by some of Chu’s views. “He continued to play defence for the government throughout the interview,” Leung told HKFP. “You can’t help but wonder whether EOC is [being] reduced to a mouthpiece under his leadership.” It seems quite astonishing that the Person responsible for Equality in this supposedly ‘International City’ should be refusing to take up Equality in Marriage.

To read the HKFP article, click here!