Hong Kong’s LGBT community left disappointed by long awaited report on discrimination against sexual minorities

A long-awaited report on discrimination against sexual minorities was finally released yesterday, but its failure to call on legislative work sparked anger within the advisory group appointed by the government.

The release of the document was rushed, according to group member and gay lawmaker Ray Chan Chi-chuen, who said he was not notified of the government’s publication schedule until after the report was made public.

In wording that disappointed rights activists, the report recommended “a further study” on other jurisdictions to inform “future consultation” on both legislative proposals and administrative measures.

However, it said: “All [six] jurisdictions covered in the research except Taiwan enacted anti-discrimination law in a self-contained piece of legislation.”

The group also called on the government to draw up a non-discrimination charter to be voluntarily adopted by employers, schools and landlords, as well as training for teachers, medical practitioners and social workers.

It comes as 40 per cent of respondents to the study said they had encountered discrimination in the workplace, including unwelcome verbal conduct.

Hong Kong’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities have for years been asking for wider recognition of their rights. But their bid for legislation to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation was dashed on the last day of the year that saw some Western counterparts cheer the introduction of same-sex marriage.