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Prof. Suen Yiu Tung, Assistant Professor of the Gender Studies Programme, and Founding Director of the Sexualities Research Programme at the Chinese University of Hong Kong was interviewed live on RTHK’s ‘Hong Kong Today’ Programme to talk about the recent verdict that the Housing Authority’s rejection of an application for public housing by a same-sex couple was discriminatory and unlawful. And his research, concerning public attitudes toward sexual minorities, was quoted in a number of local outlets such as RTHK, Apple Daily, and Oriental Daily.
The Court of First Instance has handed down a judgment on 4 March 2020 to rule that the Hong Kong Housing Authority’s refusal to recognise same-sex marriages when assessing applications for public rental housing is unlawful and unconstitutional.
Suen Yiu-tung told RTHK on Thursday it would be a waste of public resources for the government to appeal Wednesday’s judgment.
The Sexualities Research Programme of the Chinese University of Hong Kong provides some empirical evidence for understanding the social sentiment on the issue. In response to the question ‘If a same-sex couple is in a stable long-term relationship, do you agree with their right to apply for public housing as a family unit?’, 52% of the respondents said they very much agreed/ agreed in 2019, as compared to 39% back in 2016. According to the 2019 survey, only 24% said they disagreed/ very much disagreed with such a right, as compared to 33% back in 2016.
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