Someone finally asked the city straight: should the definition of rape in Hong Kong law get widened to include more than the current, narrow list of acts, and should the whole thing be made gender-neutral so men and women are protected the same way. Ninety percent of people said yes. That is not a slim majority. That is basically everybody who was asked, agreeing on something, which almost never happens here.

The law being fixed dates back decades, when "rape" in the legal code meant one specific act and pretty much nobody sat down and asked whether that still matched how sexual violence actually happens. Now the Law Reform Commission has the public mandate to broaden it and drop the gendered language, and the next thing to watch is whether the actual bill matches the number. Ninety percent support is the easy part. Getting Legco to move on it before the end of this term is the part that tells you if this was reform or just a good poll.