East Asia

Hong Kong: Same-Sex Couples Awarded Public Housing Rights

OCT 18 2023·Updated OCT 30 2023

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The Facts

On Tuesday, a Hong Kong court ruled that same-sex couples had the right to rent and own public housing, striking down existing government policies it termed "discriminatory in nature."
CNN
Upholding two previous rulings backing subsidized housing benefits to same-sex couples, the court said the Housing Authority's policies violated the constitutional right to equality, adding the differential treatment is "a more severe form of indirect discrimination than most cases."
ABC News
Previously, the Housing Authority had refused the application of a gay couple — married in Canada — to rent an apartment. Later, it denied joint ownership rights to a government-subsidized apartment to a same-sex couple married in Britain.
LGBTQ Nation
In the first case, the Housing Authority claimed the relationship fell outside the ordinary understanding of "husband" and "wife." In the second, it refused to recognize same-sex couples as "spouses" or "family members."
Hong Kong Free Press HKFP
Though Hong Kong doesn't recognize same-sex marriage, its courts have granted the LGBTQ+ community piecemeal victories, including striking down government policies on visas and taxes.
France 24
Following Tuesday's ruling, LGBTQ+ activists expect the Hong Kong government to formulate an alternative framework for the recognition of same-sex marriage within three years.
The Standard

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The Spin

Left narrative

The Hong Kong court's ruling will go a long way in easing the lives of the city's LGBTQ+ community. The government must bear responsibility for institutionalizing a more liberal approach to the rights of same-sex couples and use its power to end entrenched discrimination.

South China Morning Post

Right narrative

Acknowledging same-sex unions as "marriage" undermines the traditional institution in Hong Kong. It undercuts the concept of family as initiated through traditional marriages. It is important to recognize long-standing and historical values of custom and culture.