MARCH 3: Japan celebrates its first same sex marriage (2013)

365daysoflesbians:

Happy fourth anniversary to Koyuki Hirosho and Higashi Masuhara, who were married on this day in 2013 at Tokyo Disneyland and became Japan’s first same sex couple to tie the knot! 

Koyuki and Higashi pose with a fellow iconic couple, Mickey and Minnie Mouse. (x)

Although same sex marriage was not legalized in Japan at the time, Koyuki and Higashi were the first couple in the nation to override the law and hold a ceremonial wedding. Tokyo Disneyland initially told the couple that they would only be allowed to host the wedding at the park if they were “dressed as a man and a woman,” but Koyuki and Higashi ignored that bigoted rule as well and were both married in white wedding dresses. Higashi was quoted by the Huffington Post in 2013 as saying, “We may not have a law that applies to us, but when someone congratulates us for the wedding, I will proudly say, ‘Thank you!’” 

In November of 2015, Koyuki and Higashi made history once again by being the first same sex couple to officially receive a certificate from the Japanese government recognizing their marriage. While same sex marriage remains illegal in the whole of Japan, the Tokyo ward of Shibuya voted to legalize gay marriage in March of 2015. The ward Setagaya also voted in favor of same sex marriage a few months after Koyuki and Higashi’s historic marriage. Although the certificates that are given out through these ordinances allow same sex couples the rights of hospital visitation and joint apartment rentals, they more closely resemble the concept of civil partnerships rather than fully legally binding marriages. However, this small fact could not bring down Koyuki and Higashi’s happiness on that Thursday afternoon in 2015. The Huffington Post once again quoted Higashi as saying, ““I am exhilarated that the city I am living in has recognized my partner as my family.”

Koyuki and Higashi proudly display their new 2015, state certified marriage certificate. (x)

-LC