Hong Kong's LGBTQ community has reluctantly rallied behind a government plan to expand rights for some same-sex couples, with activists ditching their idealism in hope of a rare legislative win.

The city's top court confined marriage to heterosexual couples in 2023 but ordered the government to create an "alternative framework" to recognise same-sex couples' rights by October.

Government officials unveiled a proposal on July 2 to allow limited rights for gay and lesbian couples.

But it only covers those whose unions are registered abroad, as some same-sex couples have done, including through online ceremonies.

The bill covers medical-related matters and after-death arrangements, for example, a person's right to visit their partner in hospital or to claim a dead partner's body.

But even same-sex couples whose unions are recognised will still be unable to marry, adopt children or access some spousal entitlements such as prison visits.

Nevertheless, it could be one of the biggest advances for equal rights in the city's history.

The LGBTQ community is prepared to be pragmatic, said non-binary artist Holok Chen, who read out a statement decrying homophobia outside a marriage registry on Monday.

"We are not idealists," Chen told........

© International Business Times