A transgender student, Oscar Fung King-ho, has sued a Hong Kong school, alleging its hair policy is discriminatory by requiring short hair aligned with her sex assigned at birth. The lawsuit claims the school ignored her gender identity, subjecting her to public humiliation and rebukes.
Lawyers for Oscar Fung King-ho filed a writ on Thursday at Hong Kong's District Court, seeking unspecified damages from the incorporated management committee of Lung Kong World Federation School Limited, Lau Wong Fat Secondary School in Tai Kok Tsui.
They allege she faced "public humiliation and rebukes" from teachers over her hair length before leaving the school last year. According to a District Court writ seen by the South China Morning Post on Monday, Fung began experiencing gender dysphoria at age 14, secretly wearing women's clothing at home and embracing feminine interests to ease discomfort.
By 2021, she publicly cosplayed female anime and manga characters, posting photos on social media, with schoolmates and some teachers aware. The dispute started in September 2023 when a teacher warned her hair touched her eyebrows, breaching the school's hairstyle rules for boys. Fung ignored the warning and grew her hair longer, saying it reduced her anxiety.