Pride Prejudice

While Hong Kong in the 21st century is a more inclusive city for the LGBTQ+ community than in decades past, it is still a challenge for gay and lesbian couples to settle down and have a family

- Zabrina Lo.

Manfi Choi is expecting her first child this November. For the mum-to-be and her wife Heilok Wan, M the pregnancy has come with a series of hurdles even before the child was conceived. "For a lesbian couple, marriage and IVF are not [legally] recognised in Hong Kong, so we had to do both overseas-the former in Toronto and the latter in the US," Choi says. "I had to stay in the US for four months for the IVF process. But honestly, not every lesbian couple has the financial means or the time to be away." IVF, or in vitro fertilisation, and artificial insemination are the two methods commonly pursued by lesbian couples wishing to start a family. In Choi's case, her egg was fertilised with donated sperm in a laboratory before being implanted in her uterus; in cases where the couple opts for reciprocal IVF, the biological mother is the egg donor and the other partner serves as the gestational mother and carries the child to term.

Further, IVF and artificial insemination are the only options open to lesbian couples in Hong Kong: commercial surrogacy is illegal in the city, and while adoption is available to the LGBTQ+ community, only one partner can apply, as a single parent. Rita Ku, the partner and founder of local law firm Rita Ku and Ser, says, "The court is concerned about public policies; the commercial arrangements in respect of a child are not encouraged. That's why surrogacy is illegal in Hong Kong." That's not to say Hongkongers aren't looking into the process.

"I can tell you that there have been more enquiries about surrogacy from married and unmarried same-sex and hetero couples in the last few years," says Ku, adding that there is an increasing number of court applications for parental order for children born under surrogacy arrangements.

Wan and Choi decided to go down the IVF route because they always wanted their child to carry DNA from one of them; Choi also wanted to experience pregnancy.