Letters | One year after landmark gay rights ruling, Hong Kong government still opposes LGBT equality

One year has gone by since the Court of Final Appeal handed down its landmark decision in the Angus Leung Chun-kwong case but, inexplicably, the Civil Service Bureau is still reviewing guidelines on granting spousal benefits to gay civil servants’ same-sex spouses.

More galling is how the government continues to waste public resources and taxpayers’ money on cases concerning LGBT+ equality. A recent example is the Nick Infinger case, in which, following a resounding defeat, the government has nonetheless filed an appeal.

In the Edgar Ng Hon-lam intestacy case concerning the injustice facing legally married same-sex couples – they are deprived of protection awarded to heterosexual married couples – it is a mere distraction to suggest that the situation could be mitigated by preparing a will. Fundamentally, discriminatory treatment is an affront to dignity and equality.

In the Jimmy Sham Tsz-kit case, the non-recognition of overseas same-sex marriages goes to the heart of what equality means in Hong Kong. Apparently, some relationships are more equal than others, and that is plain wrong.