Vincent Cheng Wing-shun, a Hong Kong politician with a track record of vehemently opposing same-sex marriage, has just been appointed as a member of the city’s equal opportunities watchdog.
The Equal Opportunities Commission is a statutory body responsible for implementing laws forbidding discrimination based on disability, family status, race and gender. Hong Kong currently doesn’t have a law that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced this morning that three new members — Cheng, Anna Thompson, and Gary Wong Chi-him — will begin their two-year terms on May 20.
Wong is a co-leader and executive councillor for the think tank Path of Democracy, and Thompson is the human resources director at Swire Properties.
Cheng is a lawmaker for the pro-Beijing party the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB).
According to Stand News, Cheng voted against a non-binding motion in the Legislative Council in November calling for a government study on legal same-sex unions, and in 2017 he held a seminar against legalizing same-sex marriage.
Cheng, Thompson, and Wong will replace DAB lawmaker Holden Chow, Hong Kong Sports Institute Chief Executive Trisha Leahy, and nursing sector lawmaker Joseph Lee. They will step down from their posts after six years.
Chow has a history of opposing LGBTQ rights, and has even warned that extending rights to the community will undermine Hong Kong’s values.
Responding to the announcement, the Big Love Alliance — a Hong Kong-based non-profit LGBTQ organization — posted on Facebook criticizing the appointment.
“Exchanging the homophobic Holden Chow for the homophobic Vincent Cheng,” the post reads.
In a separate post, it added: “Following Holden Chow, Carrie Lam, a Catholic, has once again promoted another high profile anti-gay rights member to the EOC. Once again, the government has shown it’s commitment to abolishing equality of opportunity in Hong Kong, and is actively dragging its feet on developing equal rights in Hong Kong.
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Meanwhile, the Pink Alliance — another LGBTQ group that organizes the annual Pink Dot event — also expressed disappointment with the move.
“As a statutory body responsible for the eradication of discrimination and promotion of equal opportunities, the commission should not hold any prejudicial views,” they said in a post.
https://www.facebook.com/PinkAlliance.HK/posts/1995406140586435?__xts__[0]=68.ARDT1vbqAHX8Vt8FLlL1RviQ7o7zLo7l9sDj7cPS2KpkjgzpVs3GsVobY5K1KUqxdqQJ-ptjbVjU8eld0p9Trw95f5RP3H-zqgh4K9D_dSzClw1_AQeKvoUjurhs0LIlQqEgwUcYLq2yu7-Lctous_DAU8j_GqYLapeYLMfQ8-ireO1uzghiJEECiSnmrCpO8e8DLTXom3JZblahgct7JtCCan6gdfjtFuLmKTDTmUuvHI10O6LTN12uF7luJ3JOusefLY64WCEWCvwuYvG21cCd5I_rIWSB4h_qojXK6jVRFZloM800x8HBnRADOtQl-ZKnM7NRPgSmLHQGgd7kNLA6eA&__tn__=-R
In July, a study by the University of Hong Kong found that the majority of Hongkongers support legalizing same-sex marriage.
In September, there was a small win for LGBT rights in Hong Kong when the Immigration Department announced that they would recognize same-sex partnerships when granting dependent visas, but maintained that it did not mean that same-sex marriage will be legalized in Hong Kong.
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