Hong Kong court
to rule on gay sex law

A landmark decision striking down a ban on sex between men under 21 in Hong Kong will get a judgment by the court of appeal on Wednesday, Agence France-Presse reports. The Hong Kong government has appealed last year's lower court ruling, which declared that a higher age of consent for gay men than for straight people and lesbians was discriminatory and unconstitutional.

Men who have sex with other men before age 21 risk possible life in prison, while sex between females or between people of opposite genders before age 16 carries a maximum of five years in jail. Hong Kong, which decriminalized homosexuality in 1991, has been criticized for appealing against the ruling. (The Advocate)