Politics of Union

Japan: Okayama to join other Japan cities issuing certificates for same-sex partnerships

The city of Okayama said Monday it will issue certificates recognizing same-sex partnership starting July 1 to couples living in or planning to move to the city.

It will join nearly 50 other local governments in the country issuing similar certificates to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender couples, and offering benefits such as allowing them to apply for public housing. Same-sex marriage is not legally recognized and the certificates are not legally valid.

Okayama has also agreed with Soja, another city in Okayama Prefecture, to mutually recognize their certificates and eliminate the need for new procedures when LGBT couples move between the two cities. Read more via Japan Times

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Costa Rica: Fabricio Alvarado Proposes Conscientious Objection Law Against Equal Marriage

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After the approval of equal marriage in Costa Rica, the former presidential candidate for National Restoration and now secretary general of the New Republic Party, Fabricio Alvarado, announced that he will promote a bill to validate the right of "conscientious objection" against unions of persons of the same sex.

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US: Same-sex weddings have boosted economies by $3.8 billion since gay marriage was legalized five years ago this month, a new study says

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The same-sex wedding industry also supported at least 45,000 jobs and generated more than $244.1 million in state and local sales tax since June 2015, according to the report from the UCLA School of Law's Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law and Public Policy.

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ILGA-Europe Rainbow Map Points To Make-or-Break Moment for LGBTI Rights in Europe

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In light of the COVID-19 crisis, the annual ILGA-Europe Rainbow Map shows we have come to a pivotal moment for LGBTI people’s human rights in the region.