Hong Kong urged to speed up on laws for gay couples’ rights after court rulings
Court of Final Appeal upholds rulings that same-sex couples can enjoy same rights as other families in terms of inheritance, public housing
Landmark rulings by Hong Kong’s top court that affirmed housing benefits and inheritance rights for people in same-sex relationships have fuelled calls for authorities to quickly formulate a legal framework that recognises the rights of such couples.
The Court of Final Appeal ruled on Tuesday that same-sex couples enjoyed the same rights to apply for public rental housing as other families, and could live together in subsidised flats under the government’s Home Ownership Scheme.
It also granted same-sex couples equal inheritance rights and allowed them to bequeath their properties to their surviving partners.
The latest rulings mark another milestone for Hong Kong’s LGBTQ community following their legal victories in areas such as taxation, civil servants’ benefits and the ability to use their preferred gender on identification documents.
In a ruling last year, the court demanded the government formulate an official legal framework acknowledging same-sex partnerships within two years, despite deciding not to recognise same-sex marriage in Hong Kong.
Jerome Yau, co-founder of Hong Kong Marriage Equality, urged the administration to share details about the coming framework and implement the necessary policies as soon as possible so same-sex couples could be eligible for the same marital entitlements enjoyed by their heterosexual counterparts.
