How gay civil servant Angus Leung dashed back from Italy to hear victory ruling from Hong Kong’s top court
- Couple had to cut short their holiday after it was announced the court would deliver its verdict a week earlier than expected
The verdict, a victory for the couple, ended a four-year legal battle Leung had launched against his employer, the Hong Kong government, over spousal rights for his partner.
Speaking at a local event on Saturday commemorating the 50th anniversary of New York’s Stonewall Riot, an act of civil disobedience that sparked the global fight for LGBT rights, Leung, a senior immigration officer, revealed the “deeply emotional” moment he and his husband learned about their hard-fought court win.
Just two days earlier, the Court of Final Appeal unanimously ruled in favour of Leung, granting the couple spousal benefits and joint tax assessment enjoyed by heterosexual couples in the city.
Leung and Adams were married in New Zealand, but Hong Kong does not recognise same-sex marriages.
Recalling events before the landmark ruling, Adams said he was woken on Wednesday in Tuscany by a stream of urgent phone messages from friends and his lawyer.
He was told that the verdict from Hong Kong’s top court was coming on Thursday, a week earlier than expected.