METROMONY: Recent Gay Marriage News

Equality debates heat up in Asia and Eastern Europe, while D&G have a change of heart.

By Jeffrey James Keyes

China
Sun Wenlin and boyfriend Hu Mingliang atsued their civil affairs bureau when they were denied a marriage certificate. Although homosexuality was decriminalized in China in 1997, no Asian country has legalized same-sex marriage; this suit may be the first step on China’s road to becoming the first.

Italy
Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce shocked the world when they said, “The only family is the traditional one,” in an interview. After nearly a year of backlash — including stars like Elton John calling for a boycott of the fashion house, Gabbana responded by unveiling an adorable new line of bags and shirts depicting same-sex parents with children entitled “#dgfamily.”

India
It may be some time before same-sex couples can wed in India, but their Supreme Court has decided to reexamine the country’s criminalization of gay sex. The Indian Penal Code currently outlaws sexual intercourse “against the order of nature,” but a five-judge panel has agreed to hear an appeal by local activists. India is one of 75 countries that still outlaw homosexuality.

Netherlands
Mpho Tutu, youngest daughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, married Marceline van Furth. Van Furth is a professor at the Vrije University while Tutu is an ordained Episcopal priest and executive director of the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation. Archbishop Tutu was in attendance at the private ceremony in Oegstgeest, Netherlands.

Romania
The Romanian Coalition for Family has gathered over 1.2 million signatures for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, signalling that the battle for marriage equality there is about to heat up. Romania is one of few E.U. countries that have not yet offered legal status to gay couples — along with Lithuania, Poland and Latvia. Though homosexuality was decriminalized in Romania 1996, the Romanian Orthodox Church has consistently put the brakes on progress toward marriage equality.

Taiwan
Tsai Ing-wen, elected Taiwan’s first female president in January, has announced, “I support marriage equality. Every person should be able to look for love freely, and freely seek their own happiness.” Taiwanese legislators plan to re-introduce a bill to do recognize same-sex unions when their legislature reconvenes.

Georgia
Giorgi Tatishvili, a lawyer in Tbilisi, Georgia, made an appeal to their constitutional court to legalize marriage equality. Georgia, a former Soviet state, is a predominantly Orthodox Christian country but expressly prohibits discrimination against the LGBT community.

Tennessee
David Fowler, of the conservative group Family Action Council of Tennessee filed the second lawsuit challenging the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that overturned the ban on same-sex marriage, citing the Tennessee Natural Marriage Defense Act.