More than a thousand individuals and organisations have signed a petition urging the government to speed up the legislation of a gender recognition ordinance after the death of a transgender woman earlier this month.

The woman died after falling from an overhead bridge at Tai Wai MTR station on July 8. Previously, she had said on Facebook that she felt unable to “fit into society.”

The petition says that the incident reflects the “hostile” treatment faced by transgender people in Hong Kong. It requests that the government set a timetable for the legislation and immediate implementation of a gender recognition ordinance in order to reduce “the hardships and discrimination” faced by the community.

The petition says that the ordinance should adhere to international human rights standards set by the United Nations in guaranteeing the protection of people of different genders, including transgender and intersex people.

Ray Chan, Hong Kong’s first openly-gay lawmaker, spoke to HKFP about the government’s “inertia” in enacting legislation that would ban discrimination and recognise diverse gender identities. Read more via HKFP