The University is committed to equal opportunity in academic pursuits and employment, with zero tolerance for discrimination or harassment. All CUHK members must comply with the University’s Policy Against Sexual Harassment.

CUHK is dedicated to preventing sexual harassment and discrimination through comprehensive education and training. CUHK’s Committee Against Discrimination and Sexual Harassment (CADSH) conducted a survey in 2024 to gauge awareness of these issues.  Other initiatives include online modules, seminars and capacity-building workshops for our staff and students. Ahead of the start of the new academic year, CADSH partnered with the Joint Committee on New Student Orientation to promote mandatory anti-harassment training.

The Gender Studies Programme and the Gender Research Centre regularly present events in the ‘Wednesday Gender Seminars’ Series. These events, which are introduced by distinguished speakers, provide a platform for students and members of the public to explore issues related to gender and sexuality.

The forum ‘Navigating Identity: Education and Healthcare for the Transgender Community’, part of CUHK’s SDG Forum Series, was held in May 2025, and focused on the challenges and support for the transgender community in education and healthcare. The speakers included a professor presenting a case study on school support for a transgender secondary school student, and a transgender doctor sharing his personal journey and advocating for inclusion in healthcare. They discussed challenges faced by the transgender community, and emphasized the importance of equal rights and dignity in education and healthcare.

In January 2022, the University established the Women Academics Sub-Committee.  The sub-committee has built upon the achievements of the Task Force on Women and Family-friendly Policies, a group established in May 2014.  Its aim is to empower women academics and cultivate future leaders. To celebrate International Women’s Day 2025 and to publicize the work of the Women Academics Support Network, the sub-committee organized a seminar entitled ‘Women in Leadership: Creating Impact and Sustaining Influence’ and a luncheon. In the seminar, the panellists shared their personal journeys and insights, offering inspiration and guidance on academic leadership for women to CUHK staff and students in the audience. The luncheon fostered professional and social interactions among female academic staff through mentoring by senior academics.

CUHK Business School has been partnered with a multi-national corporation since 2017 in a women-specific mentoring programme.  The year-long mentorship programme empowers female students to realize their professional potential, supports their career aspirations, development and leadership, and highlights the importance of gender equality in professional growth.  The programme promotes the five core values of self-care & self-awareness, autonomy, creativity, inclusion and sustainability.

Against the background of public interest in the issue of legal recognition of same-sex relationships in Hong Kong, Professor Suen Yiu Tung, Associate Professor of the Gender Studies Programme at CUHK, published the findings of a study in January 2025 revealing that same-sex couples in Hong Kong have a strong desire for marriage despite their lack of legal recognition. A survey conducted from May to August 2023 found that 70% of Hong Kong LGBQ+ (lesbians, gays, bisexuals, queer or questioning individuals, and other individuals of diverse sexual orientations or gender identities) respondents who were in a committed same-sex relationship said that they wanted to marry, showing that marriage remains an important institution in the mind of the LGBQ+ community in Hong Kong. As same-sex marriages are not legally recognized in Hong Kong, many LGBQ+ individuals fear that they will not be treated fairly in public domains in Hong Kong, e.g. in healthcare and workplace settings. These findings indicate that there is a case for Hong Kong to review and update its legal framework to recognize same-sex relationships—a call echoed by both LGBQ+ individuals and their parents and family members.