• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Towleroad Gay News

Gay Blog Towleroad: More than gay news | gay men

  • Body
  • Daily Resist
  • POLITICS
  • Travel
  • Music
  • Theatre
  • Film
  • TV
  • Sports
  • Business
  • Men
  • Marriage Equality
  • Space
  • Trans Rights
  • Books
  • Science
  • Gay Iconography
  • TowleREAD

Gay Civil Servant Challenges Hong Kong’s Ban on Same-Sex Marriage

December 31, 2015 by Sean Mandell Leave a Comment

hong kong

A gay male official in Hong Kong’s civil service is suing the autonomous territory over its refusal to recognize same-sex marriage.

The legal challenge brought against Hong Kong argues that its marriage ban violates Hong Kong’s Bill of Rights by denying benefits that heterosexual couples receive.

The South China Morning Post reports:

In a High Court document calling for a review, Leung Chun-kwong, a senior immigration officer, claimed that the decisions by the heads of the Civil Service Bureau and Inland Revenue discriminated against his sexual orientation and were unconstitutional.

His application document states: “At its heart, this matter concerns protection for the dignity of a historically oppressed class in our society – homosexual persons, a substantial portion of our society. Allowing discriminatory treatment against such a minority undermines the law.”

Leung joined the government in 2002. He met his partner, Scott Paul Adams, a Hong Kong resident, in 2005 and they married in Auckland, New Zealand, on April 18 last year.

He reported this to the Civil Service Bureau in April last year but was informed that its regulations viewed marriage as “the voluntary union for life of one man and one woman”. Thus, his union with Adams “falls outside the meaning of marriage”.

Leung says Hong Kong’s civil service bureau is discriminating against him and his spouse because of “the socio-moral values and family ethics of the community.”

In June, the head of Hong Kong’s Equal Opportunities Commission, Dr. York Chow Yat-ngok, 68, said he did not believe Hong Kong would legalize marriage equality during his lifetime due to public division on the issue. Dr. Chow took up his Equal Opportunities Commission post in 2013. At the time he said that, “no one should be discriminated against because of their sexual orientation.”

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: gay marriage, Hong Kong

Recent Posts

  • Jerome Adams, Wonka, Nats Getty, Drain the Swamp, Vogue, Patriot Party, Cher, The Lady and The Dale: HOT LINKS

    Jerome Adams, Wonka, Nats Getty, Drain the Swamp, Vogue, Patriot Party, Cher, The Lady and The Dale: HOT LINKS

    16 hours ago
  • Inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris: LIVE VIDEO

    Inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris: LIVE VIDEO

    20 hours ago
  • World #3 Golfer Justin Thomas Says He’ll Undergo ‘Better Person’ Training Program After Using Homophobic Slur

    World #3 Golfer Justin Thomas Says He’ll Undergo ‘Better Person’ Training Program After Using Homophobic Slur

    20 hours ago
  • John Bolton: Trump ‘Did Incite the Riot’ with the Intention to ‘Prevent Congress from Certifying the Vote’ — WATCH

    John Bolton: Trump ‘Did Incite the Riot’ with the Intention to ‘Prevent Congress from Certifying the Vote’ — WATCH

    20 hours ago
Previous Post: « Billy Eichner Finds Out Elena Has a Stalker Named Tapioca – WATCH
Next Post: Indian Lawmaker Launches Petition to Decriminalize Gay Sex »

Primary Sidebar

  • Jerome Adams, Wonka, Nats Getty, Drain the Swamp, Vogue, Patriot Party, Cher, The Lady and The Dale: HOT LINKS

  • Inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris: LIVE VIDEO

  • World #3 Golfer Justin Thomas Says He’ll Undergo ‘Better Person’ Training Program After Using Homophobic Slur

Recent Posts

  • Jerome Adams, Wonka, Nats Getty, Drain the Swamp, Vogue, Patriot Party, Cher, The Lady and The Dale: HOT LINKS

    Jerome Adams, Wonka, Nats Getty, Drain the Swamp, Vogue, Patriot Party, Cher, The Lady and The Dale: HOT LINKS

    16 hours ago
  • Inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris: LIVE VIDEO

    Inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris: LIVE VIDEO

    20 hours ago
  • World #3 Golfer Justin Thomas Says He’ll Undergo ‘Better Person’ Training Program After Using Homophobic Slur

    World #3 Golfer Justin Thomas Says He’ll Undergo ‘Better Person’ Training Program After Using Homophobic Slur

    20 hours ago
  • John Bolton: Trump ‘Did Incite the Riot’ with the Intention to ‘Prevent Congress from Certifying the Vote’ — WATCH

    John Bolton: Trump ‘Did Incite the Riot’ with the Intention to ‘Prevent Congress from Certifying the Vote’ — WATCH

    20 hours ago
  • Disgraced Trump Leaves White House for Last Time, Holds Sendoff for Himself: WATCH

    Disgraced Trump Leaves White House for Last Time, Holds Sendoff for Himself: WATCH

    20 hours ago
  • Claudia Conway Alleges Physical and Verbal Abuse by Kellyanne Conway in Disturbing TikTok Videos: ‘Ungrateful B*tch!’ — WATCH

    Claudia Conway Alleges Physical and Verbal Abuse by Kellyanne Conway in Disturbing TikTok Videos: ‘Ungrateful B*tch!’ — WATCH

    21 hours ago
  • Democrats Urged to Reject ‘Desperate’ McConnell Effort to Preserve Filibuster and Kneecap Biden’s Agenda

    Democrats Urged to Reject ‘Desperate’ McConnell Effort to Preserve Filibuster and Kneecap Biden’s Agenda

    22 hours ago
  • Pelosi: Trump’s Role in US Capitol Insurrection Makes Him an Accessory to Murder: WATCH

    Pelosi: Trump’s Role in US Capitol Insurrection Makes Him an Accessory to Murder: WATCH

    23 hours ago
  • Trump Issues 143 Pardons and Commutations including Steve Bannon, Lil Wayne, Kwame Kilpatrick

    Trump Issues 143 Pardons and Commutations including Steve Bannon, Lil Wayne, Kwame Kilpatrick

    24 hours ago
  • Amanda Gorman, Tokyo Olympics, Putin’s Secret Estate, Dwyane Wade, Lady Gaga, Chris Evans, Hungary: HOT LINKS

    Amanda Gorman, Tokyo Olympics, Putin’s Secret Estate, Dwyane Wade, Lady Gaga, Chris Evans, Hungary: HOT LINKS

    2 days ago

Most Commented

  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Footer

Copyright © 2021 · Log in