Disneyland champions gay rights in Japan
Disneyland has become an unlikely champion of gay rights in Japan, by allowing same-sex couples to marry on its premises, even though same-sex relationships have no legal recognition in the country.
According to the Guardian, Disneyland Tokyo has announced this week that it would allow gay couples to wed on its grounds, after one 27-year old woman, Koyuki Higashi, who wanted to marry her partner Hiroko, enquired as to its possibility.
Ms Higashi wrote on her blog that she was originally told that the ceremony would only be possible if they were dressed ‘like a man and a woman.’ However, the Tokyo Disney Resort eventually confirmed that this was a misunderstanding, and that same-sex couples were welcome to have ceremonies at the resort, although not in the chapel due to what they described as “Christian teachings.”
The only remaining obstacle, however, is money. A ceremony in Cinderella’s Castle, with the main Disney characters on the guest list, would cost 7.5 million Yen. That’s £60,000.
However, in a country where homosexuality is still a taboo, and saw its first openly gay politician elected last year, the news was greeted with enthusiasm by local gay rights activists.
