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Dear reader,
Thirteen LGBTQ couples took legal action against the Japanese government Thursday over its prohibition of same-sex marriage.
HuffPost Japan’s Jun Tsuboike covered the story from a Tokyo courtroom, where he says a group representing the plaintiffs handed out Valentine’s Day chocolates to the press.
He also spoke with two plaintiffs about their lawsuit, the dual challenges female sexual minorities face and why they think Japan’s entire institution of marriage needs an overhaul.
The women, who have been together for more than 20 years, said they’d never even had much interest in formalizing their union. But they see marriage equality as a crucial step in their larger fight for LGBTQ rights.
The various lawsuits, filed in cities across the country, have drawn a lot of attention. “It’s notable that the plaintiffs come from diverse backgrounds, like an international couple whose marriage is recognized overseas but not in Japan, and another raising children from previous marriages,” Jun said.
But reactions have been mixed. “We’ve noticed positive reactions on social media from both the LGBT community and allies, but the top comments on Yahoo, Japan’s largest news portal site, have been rather negative,” Jun said.
It could take years before a verdict is announced, especially if the cases make it all the way to the country’s Supreme Court. “Supporters are raising money to help with the legal expenses, and a recent nationwide survey showed the majority of respondents support same-sex marriage,” Jun said. “Some are skeptical whether they’ll win in court but they expressed the importance of taking the first step in what looks like will be a long battle.”
Until next time,
Emily
For more on Japan, follow HuffPost’s @juntsuboike . You can read his full story here .
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Human rights groups and a U.S. senator have been pressuring Apple and Google to drop a Saudi government app that allows male “guardians” to track and manage women under their control. HuffPost U.S. ran a story about the mounting criticism against Absher, which is available for download in the Google Play store and Apple’s app store. “It is hardly news that the Saudi monarchy seeks to restrict and repress Saudi women, but American companies should not enable or facilitate the Saudi government’s patriarchy,” U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) wrote Monday in an open letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai. Cook and a Google spokesman have since responded to media reports with assurances that they are reviewing the app.
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