Rainbow of Macau writes to UN

The Rainbow of Macau association, which advocates for LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) rights, has sent a letter to the United Nations criticizing Macau’s government for not including same-­sex couples in the new domestic violence bill, which passed its first reading at the Legislative Assembly in January.
Jason Chao, spokesperson for Rainbow of Macau, said in a press release that AL’s First Standing Committee – which is now reviewing the bill – did not “express interest in advancing LGBTI equal rights in the domestic violence [legislation].” According to Chao, the Committee’s chairwoman, lawmaker Kwan Tsui Hang, told him that, “the government insisted on its stance” of not including same-sex couples in the legislation.
“We have no other option but to resort to the United Nations,” Chao concluded.
In a letter addressed to the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, Rainbow recalled that when the new law comes into force, “LGBT people will be excluded from the same level of protection as their heterosexual counterparts.” The association believes that this constitutes “de facto discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.”