Hong Kong court upholds rulings backing subsidized housing benefits for same-sex couples

By KANIS LEUNG
Associated Press

HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong court has upheld two earlier rulings that supported the granting of subsidized housing benefits to same-sex couples, in another victory for the city’s LGBTQ+ community. The decision rejected appeals by the Housing Authority of the earlier rulings, which said some of its policies violated the constitutional right to equality. The Court of Appeal said in its ruling Tuesday that the differential treatment by the Housing Authority “is a more severe form of indirect discrimination than most cases because the criterion is one which same-sex couples can never meet.” The ruling is expected to have a strong impact on the lives of same-sex couples.