Henry Tse

2025-2026 Obama Foundation Asia-Pacific Leader

Headshot of Henry Tse, 2025-2026 Obama Foundation Asia-Pacific Leader

Executive Director, Transgender Equality Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Henry Tse is the executive director of Transgender Equality Hong Kong, a charity that advocates for transgender and LGBTQ+ human rights. Henry leads efforts related to human rights lawsuits, community building, and public education. After a six-year legal fight, he achieved a significant victory in February 2023 when Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal declared unconstitutional the policy mandating full sex reassignment surgery for transgender individuals to alter their gender marker on ID cards. This ruling, along with another judicial review filing in March 2024, prompted the government to revise its policy in April 2024. The updated policy now permits gender marker changes without requiring complete surgical procedures. Henry's successful litigation has set legal precedents that have been acknowledged in other parts of the Asia-Pacific region. Henry is dedicated to advocating for LGBTQ+ rights.

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