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LGBTQ
Hong KongSociety

Religious leader backs Hong Kong law banning sexual orientation discrimination ... with conditions

But Anglican provincial secretary general opposes same-sex marriage in city

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Reverend Peter Koon at St John’s Cathedral in Central. Photo: Nora Tam
Tony Cheung

A top leader of Hong Kong’s Anglican Church has vowed he would back a law banning discrimination based on sexual orientation if it could “solve an acute problem” without being “too difficult” to enforce.

However, Reverend Peter Koon Ho-ming, provincial secretary general of the Hong Kong church, said in an exclusive interview he did not agree with a campaign by gay rights groups’ pushing for legalising same-sex marriage in the city, arguing it would complicate other issues such as child adoption.

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The Anglican Church, known locally as the Sheng Kung Hui, is one of the most powerful denominations in the city, with 40,000 followers.

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In March, the Equal Opportunities Commission issued a statement, supported by 75 major organisations and companies, calling for legislation against discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex status.

They said LGBTI people in Hong Kong had experienced “significant discrimination”. But some Christian lawmakers and activists strongly opposed the plan, warning it would “undermine traditional values”.

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Asked if he would support a sexual orientation discrimination ordinance, Koon said: “If the legal provisions were not too difficult to enforce and could help [gays] not be discriminated ... and if there was consensus in society, it would also be OK for me personally.”

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