Hong Kong Court Rules to Uphold Same-Sex Couples' Housing Rights

November 27, 2024

Nick Infinger holds intersex-inclusive pride progress flag after Hong Kong's top court rules in favour of equal housing and inheritance rights for same-sex couples in Hong Kong, China November 26, 2024. [Image credit: REUTERS/Joyce Zhou]

Cited article by Reuters

HRRC supports housing and inheritance rights for every couple regardless of their sexual orientation. Ensuring equal rights strengthens the fabric of society and promotes inclusivity.

News Brief

Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeal upheld three earlier rulings that favored granting public housing and inheritance rights to married same-sex couples. The unanimous ruling by the Court can be seen as the latest legal victory for the LGBTQ+ community since 2023. Judges Andrew Cheung, Robert Ribeiro, Joseph Fok, Johnson Lam and Frank Stock stated that they rejected the government’s arguments that same-sex and opposite sex couples were not comparable in terms of rights to public housing.

Previously, the Court had ruled against legalizing same-sex marriage but acknowledged the need for same-sex couples to access alternative legal frameworks to meet basic social needs. According to Jerome Yau, co-founder of Hong Kong Marriage Equality, “the court made it very clear that same-sex marriage is just the same as heterosexual marriage”.