Top Hong Kong Court Backs Same-Sex Couples on Housing Rights
- Court upholds housing, inheritance rights for same-sex couples
- Ruling marks latest victory for LGBTQ community in city
Nick Infinger outside the Court of Final Appeal in Hong Kong, on Nov. 26.
Photographer: Peter Parks/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Hong Kong’s top court ruled that the government cannot disqualify same-sex couples from applying for public housing, marking the latest legal victory for the city’s LGBTQ community.
The decision, delivered by Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeal on Tuesday, upheld previous court rulings and marked the end of a six-year legal battle that began when resident Nick Infinger launched a judicial review against the city’s Housing Authority. Infinger argued that the government denied same-sex partners from public rental housing on grounds that they are not considered “ordinary families,” violating Hong Kong’s Bill of Rights and the Basic Law.