The University of
Hawaii has announced that it will allow a gay couple
who threatened to sue to live on campus in family housing.
Officials announced Wednesday that the school is
working on a policy to admit same-sex couples into
family housing, the Associated Press reports.
When Joseph
O'Leary and Phi Ngo, who lived together during the
2006-2007 school year, applied to live together
next year, they were turned down. They moved off
campus for the current school year, but the cost of rent,
food, and transportation are difficult for them to manage.
Lambda Legal took on their case, noting that the
school allows benefits for professors in same-sex
relationships.
"The university
had no problem with Joe and Phi living in family
housing last year," Brian Chase, senior attorney for Lambda
Legal, said in a USA Today article on Monday.
"It makes no sense for the university to suddenly decide to
discriminate against them just because they are gay."
University
Chancellor Francisco Hernandez called the lawsuit surprising
and disappointing. (The Advocate)