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LGBTQ parade in Bangkok

People take part in Bangkok's annual Pride Parade on June 1, 2025, carrying rainbow flags to celebrate the LGBTQ community's pride month. Thailand became the first country in Southeast Asia to legalize same-sex marriage in January.

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LGBTQ parade in Bangkok

People take part in Bangkok's annual Pride Parade on June 1, 2025, carrying rainbow flags to celebrate the LGBTQ community's pride month. Thailand became the first country in Southeast Asia to legalize same-sex marriage in January.

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LGBTQ parade in Bangkok

People take part in Bangkok's annual Pride Parade on June 1, 2025, carrying rainbow flags to celebrate the LGBTQ community's pride month. Thailand became the first country in Southeast Asia to legalize same-sex marriage in January.

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[Breaking News]Japan court rules same-sex marriage denial unconstitutional

NAGOYA, Japan, March 7 Kyodo - Plaintiffs' lawyers speaks to the press in the central Japan city of Nagoya on March 7, 2025, after the Nagoya High Court became the fourth high court in the country to rule that the country's lack of legal recognition of same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. (Kyodo)

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Japan court rules same-sex marriage denial unconstitutional

Plaintiffs' lawyers speaks to the press in the central Japan city of Nagoya on March 7, 2025, after the Nagoya High Court became the fourth high court in the country to rule that the country's lack of legal recognition of same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.

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Japan court rules same-sex marriage denial unconstitutional

Plaintiffs' lawyers speaks to the press in the central Japan city of Nagoya on March 7, 2025, after the Nagoya High Court became the fourth high court in the country to rule that the country's lack of legal recognition of same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.

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Japan court rules same-sex marriage denial unconstitutional

Plaintiffs' lawyers and supporters celebrate in the central Japan city of Nagoya on March 7, 2025, after the Nagoya High Court became the fourth high court in the country to rule that the country's lack of legal recognition of same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.

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Japan court rules same-sex marriage denial unconstitutional

Plaintiffs' lawyers and supporters celebrate in the central Japan city of Nagoya on March 7, 2025, after the Nagoya High Court became the fourth high court in the country to rule that the country's lack of legal recognition of same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.

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Japan court rules same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional

TOKYO, Japan, Oct. 30 Kyodo - Plaintiffs rejoice outside the Tokyo High Court on Oct. 30, 2024, after it ruled that Japan's lack of legal recognition for same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. (Kyodo)

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CORRECTED: Japan court rules same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional

Plaintiffs rejoice outside the Tokyo High Court on Oct. 30, 2024, after it ruled that Japan's lack of legal recognition for same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.

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CORRECTED: Japan court rules same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional

Plaintiffs rejoice outside the Tokyo High Court on Oct. 30, 2024, after it ruled that Japan's lack of legal recognition for same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.

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CORRECTED: Japan court rules same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional

Plaintiffs rejoice outside the Tokyo High Court on Oct. 30, 2024, after it ruled that Japan's lack of legal recognition for same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.

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Damages suit over Japan's same-sex marriage ban

Plaintiffs head to the Tokyo High Court on Oct. 30, 2024, to hear the court's ruling on their claim for damages over Japan's same-sex marriage ban.

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Damages suit over Japan's same-sex marriage ban

Plaintiffs head to the Tokyo High Court on Oct. 30, 2024, to hear the court's ruling on their claim for damages over Japan's same-sex marriage ban.

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Damages suit over Japan's same-sex marriage ban

Plaintiffs head to the Tokyo High Court on Oct. 30, 2024, to hear the court's ruling on their claim for damages over Japan's same-sex marriage ban.

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Taiwan: Pride Parade Draws Hundreds Of Thousands To Taipei 2

Hundreds of thousands gathered in Taipei on Saturday, October 26, for the 22nd annual Taiwan Pride parade.

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Taiwan: Pride Parade Draws Hundreds Of Thousands To Taipei

Hundreds of thousands gathered in Taipei on Saturday, October 26, for the 22nd annual Taiwan Pride parade.

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Thailand: Nation To Become First To Legalize Same-Sex Marriage In Southeast Asia 2

A marriage equality bill in Thailand passed the final hurdle after its Senate voted in favor of same-sex union on Tuesday, June 18, making the nation the first in Southeast Asia to legalize a similar law. The bill still requires a final signature from the king before marriage equality can take effect in Thailand, but this process is considered a formality. The law will then come into effect 120 days after it is published in the Royal Gazette. This footage, taken in a room at the Parliament House in Bangkok, shows supporters celebrating when the final vote result came in.

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Thailand: Nation To Become First To Legalize Same-Sex Marriage In Southeast Asia

A marriage equality bill in Thailand passed the final hurdle after its Senate voted in favor of same-sex union on Tuesday, June 18, making the nation the first in Southeast Asia to legalize a similar law. The bill still requires a final signature from the king before marriage equality can take effect in Thailand, but this process is considered a formality. The law will then come into effect 120 days after it is published in the royal gazette. This footage taken in a room at the Parliament House in Bangkok shows supporters celebrating when the final vote result came in.

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Greece: Celebrations In Athens After Marriage Equality Bill Passes

People celebrated on the streets in Athens after a bill for same-sex marriage passed in the parliament on Thursday, February 15. The bill that will also allow same-sex couples to adopt children made Greece the first Christian Orthodox country and the 16th EU nation to legalize marriage equality.

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GREECE-ATHENS-PARLIAMENT-SAME-SEX MARRIAGE-BILL-APPROVAL

(240215) -- ATHENS, Feb. 15, 2024 (Xinhua) -- People wait outside the Parliament while the bill on same-sex marriage is debated in Athens, Greece, on Feb. 15, 2024. Greece's parliament approved a landmark bill allowing same-sex civil marriage on Thursday, granting same-sex couples the right to wed and adopt children. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

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GREECE-ATHENS-PARLIAMENT-SAME-SEX MARRIAGE-BILL-APPROVAL

(240215) -- ATHENS, Feb. 15, 2024 (Xinhua) -- People wait outside the Parliament while the bill on same-sex marriage is debated in Athens, Greece, on Feb. 15, 2024. Greece's parliament approved a landmark bill allowing same-sex civil marriage on Thursday, granting same-sex couples the right to wed and adopt children. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

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GREECE-ATHENS-PARLIAMENT-SAME-SEX MARRIAGE-BILL-APPROVAL

(240215) -- ATHENS, Feb. 15, 2024 (Xinhua) -- People wait outside the Parliament while the bill on same-sex marriage is debated in Athens, Greece, on Feb. 15, 2024. Greece's parliament approved a landmark bill allowing same-sex civil marriage on Thursday, granting same-sex couples the right to wed and adopt children. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

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A Brighter Summer Day

Chi Chia Wei, Taiwan’s most famous LGBTQIA+ activist, Taipei, Taiwan, 2019 Chi Chia Wei is the first man in Taiwan who publicly came out as gay thirty years ago on national television, during a press conference announcing both his sexuality and his campaign for the prevention of HIV/AIDS. He started to fight for marriage equality when he was 28. ‘I am Chi Chia Wei, born in Taipei. From my family to school, and after leaving campus, I’ve never been treated badly due to my sexual orientation. This special background allows me to learn many things, and fight for the LGBTQ rights in Taiwan. I think it must be fate. In my teenager period, my family tried to teach us how to break the traditional rules. I came out when I was 17 years old, no one in the school was against me. I became an activist in 1986. The society in 80s in Taipei was not worse than other countries, but also not really friendly; it was basically the same everywhere in the world. However, I was the first person to discuss same sex marriage here, an

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A Brighter Summer Day

Shih Han on the roof top of the building where his family lives, New Taipei City, Taiwan, 2019 ‘I feel very proud that Taiwan just became the first Asian country to legalize same sex marriage, and I really believe it’s just the first step. Now we have to let more and more people know that we have the same rights as heterosexual people. Education is the priority. I get discriminated by gay men because of this expectation that we should be muscular with short hair, as to compensate for something. I’m sick of this. Some patriarcal gay men asked me why I had long hair, thinking I was giving gay men a bad name by looking different. They think it’s adding an extra layer of misunderstanding for the society. They believe I’m not a good gay man. But why should I follow the rules? I just want to be myself.’ Shih Han Shih Han is a performing artist. He lives with his family in New Taipei City. Photo by Su Cassiano/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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A Brighter Summer Day

Chen and Dean chilling with their dogs on their day off, Taichung, Taiwan, 2019 ‘Once my parents asked me why I either seldom went home when I was off, or I only took man home. I told them, ‘This is it, he’s my partner. If you accept it, you will have one more son; if you don’t, you will lose two.’ In my opinion, homosexuality is normal, but they were probably worried about how society perceived us, or that it might affect my career. I told them that I was out since junior high school, and I was also out in the military. The officers even asked me to consult other gay people, they thought I knew better than them; they asked me to bridge.’ Chen Chen (left) and Dean met each other on Facebook through friends of friends. They opened a tea shop that they built and run together in Taichung. They also own a mobile phone shop in the same building, and have their bedroom on the top floor. They got married on the 18th May, the day after same sex marriage got legalized in Taiwan. It got a lot of attention from the med

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Beyond Our Bodies

Elliot and Lucia in bed, Melbourne, Australia, 2018 Lucia and Elliot started dating in Berlin, where they both live. She is from Argentina, he is from Australia. It was the first time Lucia came to Australia to visit Elliot's family. She said that getting outside of Berlin's alternative bubble would always be a reminder of the rampant intolerance of the greater world, and that being queer was not that well accepted everywhere. Lucia doesn't really like it here and told me that in some places people would really stare at them. This is a crucial period in Elliot's life as he started transitioning gender, and they support each other a lot. Even though Australia recently voted yes for same sex marriage, there is still hostility towards LGBTQIA people, especially in small country towns. Photo by Su Cassiano/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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A Brighter Summer Day

A Brighter Summer Day tells intimate stories from the LGBTQIA+ community in Taiwan in the period leading to the legalization of same sex marriage and its aftermath. In 2017, the Taiwanese government declared it unconstitutional to exclude same sex couples from marriage giving Taiwan two years to vote for the bill and dividing the country. 7 millions people voted against. On the 17th of May 2019, same sex marriage was legalized, Taiwan becoming the first country in Asia to do so. Nevertheless inequality continues regarding adoption or marrying a foreign person, to name a few of the remaining issues. Stigma and stereotypes are still attached to same sex relationships, even more so regarding gender issues. Gender diverse people’s existence is often hidden as gender binaries are strongly enforced and people who exist outside of this binary system are rejected or made invisible. Even within the queer scene, the stereotypical representations of masculinity and femininity are prevalent. Photo by Su Cassiano/Middle E

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A Brighter Summer Day

Crown and Carole at home, New Taipei City, Taiwan, 2019 ‘Even my mum told me that it’s not that she doesn’t support me having a family, it’s more that she thinks if we have this whole gay marriage legalization there are going to be more gay people in the society. That’s not true. It’s that now gay people are more visible, now you are hearing from them. Before they were hiding their identity within the society. This is a weird time. I didn’t think I would be able to get married or to have kids here in Taiwan. But now that this little window is open and you see the possibility that this might be able to be changed and have hope and people try to stop it, you get really angry. We had a vote before and there was 7 million votes against the legalization of same sex marriage so it doesn’t look good. Older people are being told that if we let ‘homos’ get married it’s going to ruin heterosexual’s rights to get married and that people are going to marry their dogs and their kids will become gays.’ Carole Crown works i

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A Brighter Summer Day

Maggie and Ching Yun in their bedroom, New Taipei City, Taiwan, 2019 ‘Those days when you were crying are not the doomsday. You have to believe you can live the way you like, can be in a healthy relationship. Thank you very much for your courage.’ Maggie Maggie (right) and Ching Yun have been together for two years, and moved together almost right after they met. Maggie works in the movie industry and is from Taichung. She had a girlfriend there and her family was shocked about it. Everybody got hurt. So Maggie left for Taipei, the big city, to be able to be herself. There’s a big gap between the Taipei bubble and other cities in Taiwan. She’s still in contact with her family but they never talked about her sexual orientation again. Even if Ching Yun looks boyish, her family still expects her to marry a man. They think her and Maggie are flatmates. Her mother doesn’t know but during the referendum about same sex marriage Chin Yun tried to persuade her to vote yes. She’s been waiting for the right timing to co

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Celebrating legalization of same-sex marriages

3.1.2024, Tallinn. Representatives of LGBT+ organizations and more active campaigners participated at a reception with chairman of the Riigikogu Lauri Hussar. As of January 1, 2024, same-sex marriage is legal under Estonian law. Under Estonian law, married and registered couples have extra rights and obligations. These are mostly related to benefits, property, housing, lineage, and inheritance. Photo: Konstantin Sednev / Postimees

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Celebrating legalization of same-sex marriages

3.1.2024, Tallinn. Representatives of LGBT+ organizations and more active campaigners participated at a reception with chairman of the Riigikogu Lauri Hussar. As of January 1, 2024, same-sex marriage is legal under Estonian law. Under Estonian law, married and registered couples have extra rights and obligations. These are mostly related to benefits, property, housing, lineage, and inheritance. Photo: Konstantin Sednev / Postimees

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Celebrating legalization of same-sex marriages

3.1.2024, Tallinn. Representatives of LGBT+ organizations and more active campaigners participated at a reception with chairman of the Riigikogu Lauri Hussar. As of January 1, 2024, same-sex marriage is legal under Estonian law. Under Estonian law, married and registered couples have extra rights and obligations. These are mostly related to benefits, property, housing, lineage, and inheritance. Photo: Konstantin Sednev / Postimees

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Celebrating legalization of same-sex marriages

3.1.2024, Tallinn. Representatives of LGBT+ organizations and more active campaigners participated at a reception with chairman of the Riigikogu Lauri Hussar. As of January 1, 2024, same-sex marriage is legal under Estonian law. Under Estonian law, married and registered couples have extra rights and obligations. These are mostly related to benefits, property, housing, lineage, and inheritance. Photo: Konstantin Sednev / Postimees

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Celebrating legalization of same-sex marriages

3.1.2024, Tallinn. Representatives of LGBT+ organizations and more active campaigners participated at a reception with chairman of the Riigikogu Lauri Hussar. As of January 1, 2024, same-sex marriage is legal under Estonian law. Under Estonian law, married and registered couples have extra rights and obligations. These are mostly related to benefits, property, housing, lineage, and inheritance. Photo: Konstantin Sednev / Postimees

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Japan's same-sex marriage ban "in unconstitutional state": court

Photo taken June 8, 2023, shows a Fukuoka District Court courtroom in southwestern Japan where judges ruled the same day that current marriage laws are "in a state that violates" a section of an article in the Constitution calling for enacting laws based on individual dignity and equality of the sexes. (Pool photo)

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Japan court rules disallowing same-sex marriage is unconstitutional

Supporters of same-sex marriage rejoice on May 30, 2023, after the Nagoya District Court in central Japan ruled that the lack of legal recognition of such marriage is unconstitutional.

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Japan court rules disallowing same-sex marriage is unconstitutional

Supporters of same-sex marriage rejoice on May 30, 2023, after the Nagoya District Court in central Japan ruled that the lack of legal recognition of such marriage is unconstitutional.

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Same-sex marriage revealed in Japan's entertainment world

TOKYO, Japan - TV personality Ayaka Ichinose (L) and actress/dancer Akane Sugimori tell a press conference in Tokyo on Dec. 21, 2014, they will marry on April 19 next year in the Japanese capital. It is rare in Japan for gay entertainers to publicize their "marriage" as same-sex marriage is illegal.

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Same-sex marriage

NEW YORK, United States - Takako Ueda (L) and her wife Frances Herbert show Ueda's green card along with local news stories and letters of support at their home in Dummerston, Vermont in October 2013. They were among the first couples to receive immigration benefits after a U.S. law restricting such benefits for same-sex couples was struck down in June the same year.

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Biden signs into law same-sex marriage bill

U.S. President Joe Biden (C) signs landmark federal protections into law for same-sex marriage on Dec. 13, 2022, at the White House in Washington.

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U.S.-WASHINGTON, D.C.-BIDEN-RESPECT FOR MARRIAGE ACT-SIGNING

(221214) -- WASHINGTON, D.C., Dec. 14, 2022 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Joe Biden speaks before signing the Respect for Marriage Act at the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, Dec. 13, 2022. U.S. President Joe Biden signed a bill on Tuesday codifying federal protections for same-sex marriage. The move came days after the Respect for Marriage Act went through the U.S. Congress. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Xinhua)

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U.S.-WASHINGTON, D.C.-BIDEN-RESPECT FOR MARRIAGE ACT-SIGNING

(221214) -- WASHINGTON, D.C., Dec. 14, 2022 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Joe Biden attends a signing ceremony of the Respect for Marriage Act at the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, Dec. 13, 2022. U.S. President Joe Biden signed a bill on Tuesday codifying federal protections for same-sex marriage. The move came days after the Respect for Marriage Act went through the U.S. Congress. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Xinhua)

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U.S. Congress passes bill on same-sex marriage

STORY: U.S. Congress passes bill on same-sex marriage DATELINE: Dec. 9, 2022 LENGTH: 00:00:56 LOCATION: Washington D.C. CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of the U.S. House of Representatives voting on the bill 2. various of exterior of the U.S. Capitol STORYLINE: The U.S. Congress approved a bill on same-sex marriage on Thursday and sent it to the White House. The House of Representatives passed the Respect for Marriage Act in a 258-169-1 vote, a week after it went through the Senate. U.S. President Joe Biden said previously that he would sign the measure, which will cement federal protections for same-sex marriage, when it arrived on his desk. The legislation was introduced this summer after a conservative Supreme Court justice signaled that rulings on marriage equality and contraception should be reconsidered. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Washington D.C. (XHTV)

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U.S.-WASHINGTON, D.C.-SAME-SEX MARRIAGE BILL

(221208) -- WASHINGTON, Dec. 8, 2022 (Xinhua) -- Photo taken on Dec. 8, 2022 shows the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., the United States. The U.S. Congress approved a bill on same-sex marriage on Thursday and sent it to the White House. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

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U.S.-WASHINGTON, D.C.-SAME-SEX MARRIAGE BILL

(221208) -- WASHINGTON, Dec. 8, 2022 (Xinhua) -- Photo taken on Dec. 8, 2022 shows the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., the United States. The U.S. Congress approved a bill on same-sex marriage on Thursday and sent it to the White House. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

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U.S.-WASHINGTON, D.C.-SAME-SEX MARRIAGE BILL

(221208) -- WASHINGTON, Dec. 8, 2022 (Xinhua) -- Photo taken on Dec. 8, 2022 shows the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., the United States. The U.S. Congress approved a bill on same-sex marriage on Thursday and sent it to the White House. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

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U.S.-WASHINGTON, D.C.-SAME-SEX MARRIAGE BILL

(221208) -- WASHINGTON, Dec. 8, 2022 (Xinhua) -- Photo taken on Dec. 8, 2022 shows the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., the United States. The U.S. Congress approved a bill on same-sex marriage on Thursday and sent it to the White House. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

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U.S. House passes bill on marriage equality

STORY: U.S. House passes bill on marriage equality DATELINE: July 21, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:26 LOCATION: Washington D.C. CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of the U.S. House of Representatives voting on the bill 2. various of exterior of the U.S. Capitol STORYLINE: The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill on marriage equality on Tuesday in a 267-157 vote, with 47 Republicans joining all Democrats in supporting the measure. The Respect for Marriage Act, which calls for the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, will face an uphill battle in the evenly-divided Senate. Signed into law in 1996, the Defense of Marriage Act defines marriage for federal purposes as the union of one man and one woman and allows states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages granted under the laws of other states. The White House said in a statement that the Respect for Marriage Act "would enshrine the right to Federal recognition of marriage for same-sex and interracial couples." Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court o

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Thousands March in Central Tokyo For LGBT awareness

TOKYO, Japan, -May 7: Thousands of people took part in a parade in Tokyo's Shibuya district Sunday to raise awareness of issues related to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, marching on along busy shopping streets led by a float decorated in rainbow colors. About 6,000 participated, including people with disabilities calling for the elimination of discrimination, according to nonprofit organization Tokyo Rainbow Pride that organized the parade. It was the sixth time such a parade was held in Shibuya, the organizer said. In April 2015, Tokyo's Shibuya Ward became the first municipality in the country to recognize same-sex partnerships as equivalent to marriage, passing an ordinance for the issuance of ward certificates to such couples. Several municipalities have since followed suit. A special law enacted in 2004 paved the way in the country for transgender people to change their registered sex under certain conditions. Around 6,000 people had subsequently changed their sex by the end of 2015.