Hong Kong court sides with same-sex couple over inheritance rights
Washington PostOct 31, 2023
The Facts
On Tuesday, Hong Kong's top court ruled that the city's government must provide new regulations to legally recognize the rights of same-sex couples.
The ruling, made by Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal, came after a five-year-long legal challenge by LGBTQ+ rights activist Jimmy Sham and was the first time that the court directly addressed the issue of same-sex marriage in Hong Kong.
The Spin
Left narrative
This is an exciting victory for LGBTQ+ activists in Hong Kong and abroad. Same-sex couples deserve the same dignity and respect as heterosexual couples, and establishing a legal framework of recognition will positively impact the LGBTQ+ community in Hong Kong and improve the territory's reputation.
Right narrative
While everyone, regardless of sexual orientation, should be protected from discrimination, this ruling paves the way to a direct contradiction to Hong Kong's constitutional stance on traditional family and marriage — the bedrock of its society.
Narrative C
While legal recognition of same-sex couples is better than nothing, Hong Kong still has a long way to go before equality. The court unanimously dismissed challenges requesting the recognition of foreign same-sex marriages or the approval of same-sex marriage. This is only a partial victory.
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