A woman, known only as W in the global media, has been fighting to marry her boyfriend since 2010. According to her passport, W is a woman. So why has the Hong Kong Registrar of marriage decided she can't marry a man?
Hong Kong has denied W the right to marry because her birth certificate says she was born a man. But W has undergone a profound change since her birth. She is a woman in every important way: physically, emotionally, and psychologically, according to her defense attorney.
W's brave fight for equality under Hong Kong law could be a groundbreaking case. It certainly focuses attention on China's unequal treatment of same sex couples. Please tell Hong Kong's high court that you support W's petition to be legally married to the man she loves!
We the undersigned are disappointed and saddened that W has been barred from marrying the man she loves.
Marriage should be a universal right. Marriage creates economic and emotional stability that benefits not only individuals but society as a whole. And yet you have denied this basic right to a woman who asks only for the same privileges as other women in her country.
The fact that W's birth certificate says she was born male should not enter into your decision at all. W is a woman, and your laws should recognize her as such. Let W marry!
