Erdman, a baker who had a business in the States creating personalised cakes, was forced to travel to the city on a tourist visa after being unable to obtain any other visa through marriage.

He has twice applied for a work visa, but authorities denied both applications, citing his career. Now, given Hong Kong's high rents and cost of living, the couple are feeling the lack of a second income.

"It'll be hard [for the city] to retain talent, let alone attract talent - not all talent are straight," said Christian. "We are at a point that if nothing changes, we'd need to leave."

Erdman, who wants to be granted a dependant's visa usually issued to spouses, has to leave the city every three months to renew his tourist visa. "You never know what might happen. It's very stressful not knowing if you can get back in every three months," he said. "And it has put a strain on our relationship."

Echoing British Consul General Caroline Wilson's warning last month that people would be put off Hong Kong by the lack of rights for non-heterosexuals, Christian said they would have reconsidered their decision to come if they had known how bad the situation was. And he warned others to think twice.

Sri Lanka's 'first gay film', blocked at home, screens at Hong Kong festival

A pioneering Sri Lankan film portraying same-sex love, which is blocked from release at home, is being screened at this week's Hong Kong Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.

Sri Lankan government censors would only give - a film exploring a love triangle between two men and a woman - one-off approval to be shown at the Colombo International Film Festival earlier this month. "It received a lot of attention from the public, and it was positive," the film's director, Chandrasekaram Visakesa, said. "I'm optimistic that there may be a possibility of getting a certificate for national release now." In Sri Lanka, homosexual acts are punishable by up to 10 years in jail.

, tells the stories of a young woman, Sarasi, looking to escape her mother's plans for an arranged marriage, her childhood friend, Chamath, and a recent male arrival in their village, Nalin.

Visakesa said: "I argue it's the first gay film in Sri Lanka. The previous ones portrayed the characters very negatively, and harmed the community more than it helped the community have their say and freedom. This is the first time we talk about freedom to love and freedom to have same-sex relationships in a positive way."

A lawyer by profession, Visakesa funded the broadly biographical film with a redundancy payment. In the movie, Chamath's homosexuality is accepted by both his mother and his brother, a Buddhist monk. Visakesa said Buddhism, the country's major religion, does not forbid homosexuality.

"I didn't want to leave any sort of question mark at the end of the film, for example people thinking yes, there could be same-sex relationships but it is against Buddhism, or there could be same sex relationships but in the town, not in the village." Visakesa said. "Those are the reasons I brought the symbolic representation of the Buddhist monk as the brother and it's set in a rural village, not the town."

The Hong Kong Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, which runs until Friday, is celebrating its 25th birthday this year and is using its programme to highlight Russia's anti-gay laws enacted in 2013.

had its Hong Kong debut last night and will be screened for a second time as part of the festival at The One, Tsim Sha Tsui, tomorrow at 8pm.