Bea del Rio in CultureQueer

Same-sex couples in Japan sue their government for refusing them their right to marry

While Valentine’s Day is supposed to celebrate love, the truth is, not all kinds of love are celebrated all over the world. In Japan, 13 LGBT couples chose to spend their Feb. 14th by filing lawsuits against the government for refusing to allow same-sex marriages, which they say is a direct rejection of their constitutional right.

Dazed notes, “While same-sex couples in certain cities have been issued marriage certificates for the purpose of equal treatment in business, they are not legally binding.” According to their constitution, “Marriage shall be only with the mutual consent of both sexes.” The couples involved in the lawsuit claim this has been wrongly interpreted by the government.

Although BBC reports that surveys show a strong support for the case, especially from the younger generation, the Japanese government remains apprehensive of how it will affect traditional family values in Japan, a known conservative country.

Still, some citizens are undeterred. Ai Nakajima, one of the individuals promising to sue, told the BBC: “We are prepared to take this to the supreme court. If we have to take that route, it might take more than five years.”

This fight is also true here in the Philippines. While a lot of people from the younger generation want same-sex marriage to be recognized, many—including those in the government—stay stubborn in their conservative beliefs, and continue to deny the LGBT community their basic right. Hopefully we’ll have some progress over the year, so these couples will get to spend the next Valentine’s Day celebrating their love, same as anybody else.

[Dazed and BBC]

Photo courtesy of Unsplash

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