Hong Kong judge declares gay age of consent law unconstitutional
A Hong Kong High Court judge, Michael Hartmann, has ruled that laws prohibiting gay sex by men under the age of 21 are unconstitutional and that they discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation. William Roy Leung, 20, challenged Hong Kong's existing laws on the issue. HK law allows heterosexual and lesbian sex from the age of 16, but anyone under the age of 21 who engages in sodomy could face life in prison. Discriminatory indeeed - and the government says it will study the judgement. Hartmann said the current laws were "demeaning of gay men who are, through the legislation, stereotyped as deviant." 63 men have been arrested under the law in the past five years.
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