The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region amended its marriage registration regulation and started accepting transsexuals' new gender and their marriage applications on July 17, Southern Metropolis Daily reported.

The new regulation ends a four-and-a-half-year legal battle.

A Hong Kong resident, a former male identified only as W, changed his gender to female with an operation in 2008, and received a new ID and passport that identify her as a woman.

She and her boyfriend applied for a marriage license in November 2008, but their application was rejected. They fought the decision until May 13, 2013, when Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal reversed the ruling, approved the marriage and started amending Hong Kong's marriage regulation to allow transsexuals to wed.

The amended marriage regulation draft was released this March, informing residents in Hong Kong that transsexuals have the right to register to marry under their new gender, the report said.