Many countries celebrate Pride in June, recognizing L.B.G.T.Q. people and their struggles for equality around the world. But that fight, and that celebration, look different in different places.
In Asia and the Pacific, same-sex marriage is legal only in Australia, New Zealand and Taiwan, according to the Human Rights Campaign. India’s Supreme Court heard arguments last month in a case to legalize gay marriage.
Many L.G.B.T.Q. people will celebrate Pride in Asian cities this month, as they have done for years. But more than a dozen countries across the region still criminalize consensual gay sex, including Afghanistan, Pakistan and Brunei, according to data from the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association.
Rahm Emanuel, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, drew criticism last month from the country’s conservatives for supporting gay rights there. (Japan is the only Group of 7 nation where same-sex unions are not legal, though public support is strong.)
Now, as we look ahead to June, we’d love to hear from L.G.B.T.Q. readers across Asia and the Pacific. Do you feel safer now than you did a few years ago? Have your worries changed? Have your joys? How do you celebrate with your community?
We may feature your response in a future edition of the Asia Pacific Morning Briefing.
