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In Hong Kong, there have been legal developments and societal debates about the legal recognition of same-sex relationship. Prof. SUEN Yiu Tung, Associate Professor of the Gender Studies Programme at the Chinese University of Hong Kong has published a number of research briefs that provide empirical evidence for these discussions.

Professor SUEN Yiu Tung told the media that ‘Our findings show that LGBQ+ people, like their non-LGBQ+ counterparts, chose to engage in committed relationship with their partner. 70% of the Hong Kong LGBQ+ respondents who were in a committed same-sex relationship wanted to or very much wanted to get married with their same-sex partner, showing that marriage remains an important institution in the mind of LGBQ+ people in Hong Kong. An overwhelming majority of all LGBQ+ respondents, and of LGBQ+ respondents in a same-sex relationship, considered same-sex marriage to be important/very important. However, the legal reality that same-sex relationship is not recognized in Hong Kong means that Hong Kong LGBQ+ people live under constant stress and anxiety that they will not be treated fairly in public domains in Hong Kong. More than half of them (54%) were worried that their relationship with their same-sex partner would negatively affect their chances of getting or keeping a job. 94% of them were worried that if something happened to one of them, the hospital won’t recognize them or their same-sex partner. A significant proportion of LGBQ+ respondents who were in same-sex relationships reported facing discrimination in public domains of life, including hospital visitation and receiving poor service in restaurants or stores. Parents of LGBQ+ children in Hong Kong surveyed share the same concern about the difficulties their children face due to their sexuality. Nearly two-thirds of the surveyed parents (70%) worried that no one would take care of their child when they get older because they are LGBQ+. More than half of the surveyed parents (54%) worried that their child would not get married because they are LGBQ+. A majority of them (62%) supported the legal recognition of same-sex marriage in Hong Kong. These findings strongly indicate there is a pressing need for Hong Kong to review and update its legal framework to recognize same-sex relationship—a call echoed by both LGBQ+ individuals and their parents and family members.’

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1. 1. 1. 商業電台：在在晴朗的一天出發：孫耀東：政府訂立同性伴侶的法律認可替代框架，要盡快展開諮詢 (14 Jan 2025)

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1. 1. 明報： 七成LGBQ+受訪者想與同性伴侶結婚　 中大學者促政府及早訂立替代法律框架 (Link)
   2. SCMP: 70% of Hongkongers in same-sex relationships want to get married: survey; Researchers urge government to take note of poll as deadline for devising official legal framework for same-sex partnerships nears (Link)
   3. RTHK: Marriage a goal for many same-sex couples in HK (Link)
   4. 星島日報: 中大調查：僅2.9%人與同性伴侶有法定關係 學者促加快落實同性權益法例工作 (Link)
   5. Yahoo News: 性小眾七成想結婚 逾一成海外結婚或民事結合 學者倡逼切承認同性伴侶關係：政府好難唔理 (Link)
   6. HK01: 50歲的她與同性愛人結婚　外孫仔多了位公公　七成LGBQ人士冀結婚 (Link)
   7. Hong Kong Free Press: 70% of people in committed same-sex relationships want to marry, Hong Kong survey finds (Link)
   8. The Standard: CUHK urges legal framework to recognize same-sex relationships after 70 percent wanted to get married (Link)
   9. 集誌社：同性婚姻｜替代框架再姍姍來遲　擔心當局拖字訣　家長、子女為性小眾親屬發聲 (Link)
   10. Channal C: 中大發表性小眾研究　7成穩定關係者盼結婚　逾半憂關係影響工作(Link)

Prof. SUEN Yiu Tung was interviewed by Ming Pao about rights of transgender on 7 Feburary.

Media Coverage:

法庭不改寫登記政策 倡入境處考慮執行模式

Gender Studies Programme’s research abount rights of transgender was cited by the Washington Post.

Media Coverage:

Hong Kong’s top court rules surgery is not needed to register gender change

An article based on a recent paper Prof. Suen Yiu Tung published in the Journal of Aging Studies was published in South China Morning Post on 1 December. The article is about the needs of older people living with HIV.

Media Coverage:

Hong Kong must not neglect older people living with HIV

Professor Suen Yiu-tung, Associate Professor of Gender Studies Programme, CUHK, was interviewed by South China Morning Post about the right to sports participation for #LGBTQ people on 18 November.

Less than a year before Hong Kong co-hosts the Gay Games, new research findings by my team released today reveal that among the 884 lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer plus (LGBQ+) respondents in Hong Kong:

• 30% of them had experienced assault during PE classes.
• 47.4% of them said that homophobia in the sports sector are common or very common.
• One-fourth of them said they had experienced bullying because of being perceived as a sexual minority in sports or fitness settings.
• Among the respondents who said they had participated in a sports team before (42.6% of the respondents, n = 377), 57% of them had not come out to anyone at all.

There has been much debate in Hong Kong about the city hosting the Gay Games in 2023, the first time the event will be held in Asia. Over the past two decades, academic studies, and studies by sports agencies and government health departments, around the world have documented that homophobia, biphobia and transphobia remain rampant in sports settings for LGBTQ+ adolescents in school, as well as for LGBTQ+ adults in both leisure and competitive settings.

This study is the first to provide empirical evidence that a substantial proportion of LGBQ+ people in Hong Kong often feel unsafe or are actively excluded in sports settings.

Homophobia, biphobia and transphobia in sports settings have harmful consequences. They adversely affect LGBTQ+ people’s participation and performance in sports. They make it difficult for LGBTQ+ athletes to come out to their coach and team members. They do not only hinder authentic relationships from being built, but also drastically affect LGBTQ+ people’s performance as they have to divert their attention from performing at their absolute best to hiding who they are and questioning themselves. Homophobia, biphobia and transphobia make some LGBTQ+ people give up sports altogether.

Everyone should have the right to sports participation, health and well-being, including LGBTQ+ people.

Media Coverage:

Hong Kong’s LGBT community struggles for acceptance in sports and fitness industries, Chinese University survey shows

Dr. WONG Yuk Ying Sonia, lecturer of Gender Studies Programme, CUHK, was interviewed by BBC News Chinese about gender stereotyping in patriarchal society on 6 November.

Media Coverage:

內蒙女官員因外表打扮捱批：中國女性在當前政治風氣下為何左右為難

Prof.WONG Wang Ivy, director of Gender Studies Programme, CUHK, was interviewed by Initium Media about the gender stereotyping on Hong Kong school campuses. She indicated that no matter the reason, setting rules on one’s appearance based on their gender is already a type of gender stereotype. She also expressed that the differences in gender stereotypes between cultures have been ignored, and more discussion should be made as gender rules have been changing over the years.

Media Coverage:

中學生抵抗校園性別定型，平機會、法庭成為捍衛選擇權的新戰場

Assistant Professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Suen Yiu Tung, discusses LGBTQ+ rights in Hong Kong and China, particularly in business and at the workplace. Suen has been engaged in LGBTQ+ research in Hong Kong for a whole decade and sees clear shift in terms of public opinion on LGBTQ+ issues and more business involvement in the city. He speaks to David Ingles, Yvonne Man and Rishaad Salamat on “Bloomberg Markets Asia”. (Source: Bloomberg)

Media Coverage:

Bloomberg TV programme

Do children do better academically or is that just a myth? Do they flourish in the classroom away from the opposite sex or does it make them awkward and unprepared for the real world?

The BBC radio programme featuring Prof. Ivy Wong about single sex education is now available for replay.

Media Coverage:

BBC Radio 4

To mark the 30th anniversary of the decriminalisation of same-sex sexual acts between consenting male adults in private in Hong Kong, Prof. Suen Yiu Tung of Gender Studies Programme published an opinion piece on the South China Morning Post reviewing the state of the LGBT+ community in recent 30 years in Hong Kong.

Media Coverage:

South China Morning Post