Hong Kong court strikes down policy excluding same-sex couples from public housing News
AndyLeungHK / Pixabay
Hong Kong court strikes down policy excluding same-sex couples from public housing

Hong Kong’s highest court ruled Wednesday that a Housing Authority policy preventing same-sex couples from applying for public housing within the city limits is unconstitutional.

The spousal policy specifically excluded same-sex couples who married abroad from obtaining public housing in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Court of Appeals stated that the policy violated the region’s equal protection clause as well as its prohibition against discrimination.

The suit was filed by Hong Kong permanent resident, Nick Infinger, after he and his husband were rejected from public housing. The couple wed in Canada in January 2018. The court rejected the housing authority’s logic and stated that, “There is no reason to believe that low-income families constituted by same-sex couples have any lesser need for housing than low-income families constituted by opposite-sex couples without children.”

Ray Chan, China’s first openly gay government official, expressed his excitement regarding the ruling on his Twitter page.

Wednesday’s decision comes after a Hong Kong court ruled last October that same-sex marriage is not protected under Hong Kong’s constitution.

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