In a landmark event, 10 Hong Kong LGBTQ couples exchanged marriage vows in a hotel ballroom, despite the city not officially recognizing same-sex marriage. The officiant for the ceremony joined via video call from over 12,000 km away in Utah, USA, where same-sex marriage is legal.
"This was my promise to her and today we did it... I'm excited and really happy," said Daisy Ko, 45, after marrying her partner Dark Chan. While Hong Kong does not grant full marriage rights to same-sex couples, the couples had to legally register their marriages in the United States.
Support for same-sex marriage has grown in Hong Kong over the past decade, reaching 60% in a survey last year. The "Pride to Wed" event was organized to raise awareness and provide a joyous occasion for the LGBTQ community.
"There hasn't been an LGBTQ mass wedding in Hong Kong... (The event) is significant for the community," said co-organizer Kurt Tung, who runs an LGBTQ wedding planning business. The business has seen a spike in demand, handling around 100 weddings this year compared to just 10 previously.
Hong Kong's top court rejected same-sex marriage last year but gave the government two years to set up an alternative framework, potentially in the form of civil unions, to recognize same-sex couples' rights. The government is currently conducting a "detailed study" on the issue.
Newly-wed Dark Chan hopes Hong Kong will soon allow same-sex marriage, saying a marriage certificate is an important legal document. Liam Mak, a transgender wedding participant, believes "marriage is marriage" and should not be divided by sexual orientation.
While the couples in the mass wedding lacked the full legal rights of heterosexual couples, the event represented an important step in the fight for LGBTQ equality and recognition in Hong Kong.
香港LGBTQ伴侶在大型婚禮中尋求愛與認同
2024年6月26日
在這個具有里程碑意義的活動中,10對香港LGBTQ伴侶在酒店宴會廳交換了婚姻誓詞,儘管這個城市並未正式承認同性婚姻。來自12,000多公里外猶他州的主婚人透過視頻連線參與了儀式。
45歲的Daisy Ko在與伴侶Dark Chan完成婚禮後表示:「這就是我對她的承諾,今天我們做到了...我很興奮,也非常高興。」儘管香港未向同性伴侶授予完全的婚姻權利,但這對新人仍需在美國登記結婚。
過去十年來,香港支持同性婚姻的人數一直在增加,去年達到60%。「同心」婚禮活動的目的是提高社會意識,並為LGBTQ社區帶來歡樂時刻。
活動共同組織者,同時也是LGBTQ婚禮策劃公司創辦人的Kurt Tung表示:「香港從未舉辦過LGBTQ大型婚禮...這個活動對於社區來說很有意義。」他的公司今年承接的婚禮數量從之前的10對增加到接近100對。
香港終審法院去年駁回了同性婚姻申請,但給予政府兩年時間建立一個替代框架,可能是以民事結合的形式來認可同性伴侶的權利。政府目前正在就此進行「詳細研究」。
新婚的Dark Chan希望香港能盡快允許同性婚姻,因為結婚證書是一個重要的法律文件。跨性別婚禮參與者Liam Mak認為「婚姻就是婚姻」,不應該因性取向而有所區分。
儘管這次大型婚禮的參與者未能享有與異性伴侶相同的法律權利,但這個活動仍代表了香港LGBTQ群體爭取平等和認同的重要一步。
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