Woman awarded damages in Japan for same-sex partner's infidelity with sperm donor
A court awarded damages Wednesday to a woman in her 30s who broke up with her same-sex partner because of infidelity, recognizing their common-law partnership despite same-sex marriage not being legal in the country. The Mooka branch of the Utsunomiya District Court in Tochigi Prefecture ...
Almost 70 percent of married women in Japan believe same-sex marriage should be legalized, a government survey showed Friday. Of those in their 30s or younger, roughly 90 percent supported the legalization of same-sex marriage, the survey last year by the National Institute of Population ...
A gay married couple in Maryland sued Thursday to challenge the State Department's refusal to recognize the U.S. citizenship of their infant daughter, who was born in Canada via a surrogate this year. The federal lawsuit says a State Department policy discriminates against same-sex married ...
Gay American married to Japanese national sues government for long-term visa
An American man who married his same-sex Japanese partner in the United States sued the central government Thursday, demanding it grant him long-term resident status. American Andrew High and his Japanese partner, Kohei, who withheld his family name, live together in Tokyo and are also ...
Thailand may become first in Southeast Asia to allow same-sex unions
In Thailand, the ruling coalition and opposition lawmakers don't agree on much. Yet within both camps there's growing support for legalizing same-sex unions. Seven years of work has yielded a draft bill that is near the final stage of approval in parliament. If passed, Thailand ...
NASA investigating what may be first crime committed in space: report
NASA is investigating what may be the first crime committed in outer space. Astronaut Anne McClain is accused of identity theft and improperly accessing her estranged wife's private financial records while on a sixth-month mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS), The New York Times ...
Chinese parliament spokesman rules out allowing same-sex marriage
Limiting marriage to between a man and a woman will remain China's legal position, a parliament spokesman said on Wednesday, ruling out following neighboring Taiwan in allowing same-sex marriage, despite pressure from activists. Taiwan's parliament passed a bill in May that endorsed same-sex marriage after ...
Homophobia rising in European countries without same-sex marriage, study shows
Homophobia has risen in European countries that do not legally recognize same-sex relationships and acceptance of gay people has jumped in states where they can marry, research released on Wednesday showed. Most European countries saw a rise in acceptance of same-sex relationships between 2002 and ...
Japan's top bar association urges Diet to legalize same-sex marriage
In a first, the country's top bar association on Thursday called on the government and the Diet to legalize same-sex marriage. The current legal system "infringes upon the freedom of marriage and violates the Constitution, which states all people are equal under the law," the ...
In first, Ibaraki Prefecture to issue partnership certificates for LGBT couples from July
A total of 22 municipalities across the country have launched similar systems, but the prefecture will be the first to do so.
Liberal Democratic Party and tradition may stymie push for same-sex marriage in Japan
As Japanese lawmakers grapple with a landmark same-sex marriage bill, campaigners fear it may die at the first legislative hurdle as lawmakers pander to aging voters and old traditions. While surveys show overwhelming support for gay rights, most people who identify as LGBT say they ...
Ecuador's highest court on Wednesday approved same-sex marriage in a landmark ruling in the traditionally Catholic and conservative South American country. The Constitutional Court said same-sex marriage had been approved in a five-to-four vote of its nine judges in a closed hearing. Ecuador, where the church ...
