Lesbian couple to take wedding photos in 26 countries to raise awareness of LGBT+ issues in Japan
- The lesbian couple’s ‘26 times wedding’ project will take them to nations where gay marriage is legal, including Argentina, Iceland and New Zealand
- Japan’s laws on LGBT+ issues are relatively liberal compared with many Asian countries, but being openly gay remains largely taboo
A Japanese lesbian couple plan to stage wedding photos in every country around the world where same-sex marriage is legal in a push to increase understanding of LGBT+ communities at home, they said on Wednesday.
Students Misato Kawasaki, 21, and Mayu Otaki, 22, hope to give other LGBT+ people confidence in their identity and raise awareness of issues such as the lack of marriage equality in Japan.
“Through this project, I want to cheer up a lot of people that there is nothing to be ashamed of just because you are a sexual minority,” said Otaki. “It is important to speak out but unless many people take an interest, then I do not think society will change.”
Japan’s laws on LGBT+ issues are relatively liberal compared with many Asian countries, with homosexual sex legal since 1880, but being openly gay remains largely taboo.
Same-sex marriage is not legal, though in some areas, gay couples can get a certificate that allows them similar rights to married couples.
Kawasaki had struggled with her feelings for women, initially believing it was the “natural course” to be attracted to boys, she wrote on a fundraising page for the project.