Latest news with #K
CNA
23-07-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Hong Kong trans man wins challenge against public toilet law
HONG KONG: A Hong Kong court on Wednesday (Jul 23) ruled to strike down parts of the city's law criminalising people going into public toilets designated for the opposite sex. The case was brought by a transgender man, known as "K", who was encouraged by doctors to use men's public bathrooms as part of his gender dysphoria treatment. K's Hong Kong ID card still identified him as female, which meant he could be fined up to HK$2,000 ($255) under existing rules. He argued that this breached his rights to equality, privacy, and to be free from discrimination. High Court judge Russell Coleman agreed and struck down two provisions in the city's regulations, giving the government a year to make the change. Transgender activists in the financial hub have notched several wins over the past decade in Hong Kong courts, which are separate from those in mainland China. The city's top court decided in 2023 that it was unconstitutional for the government to require a person to complete full gender-affirming surgery before the "sex entry" on their ID card could be changed. This decision meant the government had largely conceded its case in the public toilets legal battle, Coleman wrote on Wednesday. K did not challenge the constitutionality of sex-segregated public toilets. He was undergoing hormone treatment pending surgery when he launched the legal challenge. His treatment required that he undergo "real life experience" including using public toilets that match his identified gender, according to the ruling. "Many trans people choose not to use public conveniences at all, due to fear, the threat of harassment, and to avoid having their gender identity invalidated or undermined," Coleman wrote.
The Independent
23-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Hong Kong court backs transgender right to use bathroom matching chosen gender identity
A court in Hong Kong has ruled in favour of a transgender individual who challenged a regulation criminalising the use of bathrooms that do not align with their chosen gender identity, a step toward recognising the rights of transgender people in the Chinese financial hub. Judge Russell Coleman on Wednesday suspended the effect of the ruling for a year. The suspended ruling is to 'consider whether it wishes to implement a way to deal with the contravention'. The judge said the rules banning transgender people from using the bathroom matching their gender identity are discriminatory and violate the right to equality under Hong Kong's Basic Law. He said in the judgment that the regulations and "drawing the line of a person's biological sex at birth create a disproportionate and unnecessary intrusion into the privacy and equality rights". The decision came on the complaint of a person identified as K, who was born a woman and identifies as a man in 2022. K launched a legal petition to allow transgender people to use public toilet that aligns with their identified gender. K called to expand the exemption in the Public Conveniences (Conduct and Behaviour) Regulations to those transgender people who have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria and have a medical need to undergo the process of living in their identified gender. 'This is a matter of the line-drawing, which seems to me to be a question for the government or legislature to address,' Mr Coleman wrote in his judgment. He said the matter of drawing a line between a 'female person' and a 'male person' is 'an answer not appropriately given by the courts, and is more appropriately a matter for legislation'. Currently, only children under 5 years old accompanied by an opposite sex adult can enter a public washroom designated for the opposite sex. Those violating the rule face a fine of up to 2,000 Hong Kong dollars (about $255). This marks the latest step towards recognising the rights of LGBTQ+ people in Hong Kong, which has in recent years revised policies for the community after legal challenges. Earlier this year, Hong Kong's government proposed a registration system that would recognise same-sex partnerships formed overseas, granting such couples more rights in the city. In 2023, Hong Kong's top court ruled that full sex reassignment surgery should not be a prerequisite for transgender people to have their gender changed on their official identity cards. In April 2024, activist Henry Tse, who won the legal battle in 2023 and received his new ID card reflecting
Malay Mail
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Hong Kong trans man wins court battle to strike down toilet law
HONG KONG, July 23 — A Hong Kong court on Wednesday ruled to strike down parts of the city's law criminalising people going into public toilets designated for the opposite sex. The case was brought by a transgender man, known as 'K', who was encouraged by doctors to use men's public bathrooms as part of his gender dysphoria treatment. K's Hong Kong ID card still identified him as female, which meant he could be fined up to HK$2,000 (RM1,077) under existing rules. He argued that this breached his rights to equality, privacy, and to be free from discrimination. High Court judge Russell Coleman agreed and struck down two provisions in the city's regulations, giving the government a year to make the change. Transgender activists in the financial hub have notched several wins over the past decade in Hong Kong courts, which are separate from those in mainland China. The city's top court decided in 2023 that it was unconstitutional for the government to require a person to complete full gender-affirming surgery before the 'sex entry' on their ID card could be changed. This decision meant the government had largely conceded its case in the public toilets legal battle, Coleman wrote on Wednesday. K did not challenge the constitutionality of sex-segregated public toilets. He was undergoing hormone treatment pending surgery when he launched the legal challenge. His treatment required that he undergo 'real life experience' including using public toilets that match his identified gender, according to the ruling. 'Many trans people choose not to use public conveniences at all, due to fear, the threat of harassment, and to avoid having their gender identity invalidated or undermined,' Coleman wrote. AFP has contacted K's legal team for comment. — AFP
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hong Kong judge rules in favor of transgender bathroom access
HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong judge on Wednesday ruled to strike down regulations criminalizing the use of bathrooms designated for the opposite sex, ruling in favor of transgender individuals' rights to access public toilets matching their identity. Judge Russell Coleman approved the judicial review of K, who was born a woman and identifies as a man, saying the regulations contravene an article of the city's mini-constitution that stipulates all residents should be equal before the law. But he suspended the declaration to strike down the regulations for a year to allow the government 'to consider whether it wishes to implement a way to deal with the contravention.' He said in the judgement that the regulations and 'drawing the line of a person's biological sex at birth create a disproportionate and unnecessary intrusion into the privacy and equality rights." The ruling marks another step forward in recognizing the rights of LGBTQ+ people in the Chinese financial hub. In recent years, the government has revised policies following activists' wins in legal challenges. Currently, only children under 5 years old accompanied by an opposite sex adult can enter a public washroom designated for the opposite sex. Those violating the rule face a fine of up to 2,000 Hong Kong dollars (about $255). K launched a legal challenge in 2022, seeking to expand the exemption to pre-operative transgender people who have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria and have a medical need to undergo the process of living in their identified gender. He argued that his constitutional rights were infringed by the prohibition against him using public toilets allocated for men, the court heard. The government did not immediately comment. Quarks, a group serving transgender youth in Hong Kong, welcomed the ruling, urging officials to take immediate action to rectify what it called long-standing discrimination in the system. 'The ruling is not just an affirmation of transgender rights legally but also a big step forward for Hong Kong's overall human rights development,' it said on Instagram. In 2023, Hong Kong's top court ruled that full sex reassignment surgery should not be a prerequisite for transgender people to have their gender changed on their official identity cards. The next year, the government revised its policy to allow people who have not completed full gender-affirmation surgery to change their genders on ID cards as long as they fulfill certain conditions. The conditions include the removal of breasts for transgender men, the removal of the penis and testes for transgender women, and having undergone continuous hormonal treatment for at least two years before applying. Applicants also have to continue their hormonal treatment and submit blood test reports for random checks upon the government's request. In April, activist Henry Tse, who won the legal battle in 2023 and received his new ID card reflecting his gender change last year, lodged a fresh legal challenge over the new requirements. Solve the daily Crossword
Washington Post
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Hong Kong judge rules in favor of transgender bathroom access
HONG KONG — A Hong Kong judge on Wednesday ruled to strike down regulations criminalizing the use of bathrooms designated for the opposite sex, ruling in favor of transgender individuals' rights to access public toilets matching their identity. Judge Russell Coleman approved the judicial review of K, who was born a woman and identifies as a man, saying the regulations contravene an article of the city's mini-constitution that stipulates all residents should be equal before the law.
