“The Legislative Council yesterday passed legislation decriminalising homosexual acts between consenting men aged 21 and above in private, ending an 11-year debate” was the opening line of a story in the Post on July 11, 1991. That means today, July 10, marks the 30th anniversary of the decriminalisation of same-sex sexual acts between consenting male adults in private in Hong Kong. How far has Hong Kong come in terms of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT+) issues? Let us first look at law and social policy. When decriminalisation of same-sex sexual acts took place, the legal age of consent differed for heterosexuals and homosexuals – such inequality was only ruled unlawful in 2006. After that, there were still sexual offences which only existed for homosexuals or which carried greater penalties for them; this was only ruled unconstitutional in 2019 . Although the Legislative Council has debated legal protection against discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation since the mid-1990s, and even though there are four ordinances against discrimination on the grounds of sex, family status, race and disability in Hong Kong, there is no comprehensive protection against discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity. Because of the Bill of Rights, the government and public bodies cannot discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, but there is no similar law in the private sector . So in 2021, even if a gay man or a lesbian in Hong Kong is explicitly told they are fired because of their sexual orientation in the private sector, there is no means of redress for them. The Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau invites public and private sector organisations to pledge to adopt a code of practice against discrimination in employment on the basis of sexual orientation, but it is not legally binding. Same-sex couples in Hong Kong do not have the right to marriage or civil partnerships. A report published by the Equal Opportunities Commission identified over 100 instances of differential treatment based on relationship status against same-sex couples in many aspects of life such as immigration, taxation, employment rights, inheritance, public housing, family and reproduction rights. After judicial review cases in the past decade, there is limited recognition of same-sex relationships registered overseas for specific purposes such as dependent visas, employment benefits, filing taxes as a same-sex couple, applying for public housing as a family unit, and right to inheritance of estate and property. The first gender affirming surgery in a publicly funded hospital was carried out in Hong Kong in 1981. However, many more transgender people have undergone surgeries overseas, and others simply take hormones. Hong Kong residents are required by law to carry their identity card with them at all times. To change the sex entry on their identity card, a transgender person must produce medical evidence that they have had “complete” gender affirming surgery. According to the Immigration Department, in the case of a sex change from female to male, this must include removal of the uterus and ovaries and construction of a penis or some form of a penis. In the case of a sex change from male to female, this must include removal of the penis and testes and construction of a vagina. Although transgender people’s right to marry in their affirmed gender has been confirmed in a judicial review case , there is still no comprehensive gender recognition legislation providing for transgender people’s rights. While the government launched a public consultation on legal gender recognition in 2017 , at the time of writing even a report on part one of that consultation has not been released yet. It is obvious from the above that most development on LGBT+ issues has taken place through court judgments, rather than the legislature. However, judicial review cases can often only challenge very specific areas of law, are very costly, and cases can be difficult to come by. At the same time, the number of NGOs working on LGBT+ issues has been growing since 1991. The nature of the NGOs has changed from being more focused on social gatherings in the earlier days to being more advocacy-based. The topics that they address have also diversified over the years, covering issues of ageing, bisexuality and transgender issues. There are also more NGOs focusing on LGBT+ employees in specific sectors, such as law, business, medicine and fashion. A gym where LGBT people can feel safe while working out In Hong Kong in 2021 , the lived experiences of LGBT+ people depend on their socio-economic position. A gay man who works in the public sector enjoys better protection than his counterpart in the private sector. A lesbian who works in a multinational corporation is likely to experience a very different workplace than someone who works in a local small or medium-sized enterprise. A lesbian who is a foreign domestic helper would experience life very differently to someone who works in a bank. A same-sex couple who have registered their relationship overseas experience life differently to couples who have not legally formalised their relationship. All is not equal. However, Hong Kong society is constantly changing. The findings of a telephone survey by the Sexualities Research Programme at Chinese University of Hong Kong, released in 2020, showed that opposition towards LGBT+ legal rights in Hong Kong is now at a historical low. For example, in 2020, only 12 per cent of the respondents said they very much disagreed or disagreed that there should be laws protecting people of different sexual orientation against discrimination, compared to 35 per cent in a 2016 study. In Pride Month in June this year, Hong Kong companies expressed their support for LGBT+ issues in a very visible way, more so than in previous years. Let us see what the next 30 years bring. Yiu-tung Suen is assistant professor of the Gender Studies Programme, and founding director of the Sexualities Research Programme, at Chinese University of Hong Kong