<
https://apnews.com/article/hong-kong-lgbtq-housing-inheritance-same-sex-ad09f4280d718b6718aba98025293c33>
"HONG KONG (
AP) — Hong Kong’s top court on Tuesday upheld earlier rulings
that favored subsidized housing benefits and equal inheritance rights for
same-sex married couples, in a landmark victory for the city’s LGBTQ+
community.
The Court of Final Appeal’s dismissal of the government’s appeals ended some
yearslong legal battles over the differential treatment facing same-sex couples
married overseas under Hong Kong’s Housing Authority policies and two
inheritance laws.
The unanimous decisions are expected to have a far-reaching impact on the lives
of same-sex couples, who have traditionally had fewer rights compared to their
heterosexual counterparts in the global financial hub.
Chief Justice Andrew Cheung said in his judgement that exclusionary housing
policies were argued to be beneficial to opposite-sex married couples because
they increase the supply of subsidized housing for them and thereby support the
institution of traditional families.
But Cheung said authorities failed to provide evidence showing the potential
impact on opposite-sex couples if those policies were relaxed.
“The challenged policies cannot be justified,” he wrote.
On the inheritance laws, judges Roberto Ribeiro and Joseph Fok ruled that the
disputed provisions are “discriminatory and unconstitutional” in their written
judgement.
The Hong Kong government said in a statement it respects the court’s decisions,
adding it will study the judgements and seek legal advice on next steps.
Hong Kong does not recognize same-sex marriage, prompting some couples to marry
elsewhere.
Currently, the city only recognizes same-sex marriage for certain purposes such
as taxation, civil service benefits and dependent visas. Many of the
government’s concessions were won through legal challenges, and the city has
seen a growing social acceptance toward same-sex marriage."
Via
Fix the News:
https://fixthenews.com/279-breakneck-solarisation/
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
