Chinese lesbians hold defiant wedding
Two lesbians held an unofficial wedding ceremony in Beijing on July 2 to show that, with same-sex marriage now legal across the United States, Chinese gay couples want in as well. One of the women, Li Tingting, became famous in the Chinese gay community after she was arrested for planning an educational campaign against sexual harassment.
Is polygamy next?
In the lead up to the US Supreme Court’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage across the country, conservatives worried that a breakdown in the definition of marriage could lead to polygamy. Were they right? At the Christian Post, Samuel Smith says there are signs that polygamists will try to ride on gay couples’ momentum. At the Washington Post, however, Hunter Schwartz writes that polygamy is much less likely to win Americans’ sympathy.
Iranian actor apologizes for supporting gay marriage
Iranian movie star Bahram Radan was forced to retract and apologize for a tweet he made in support of same-sex marriage in the United States. After Radan tweeted his unequivocal support for same-sex marriage, he was reportedly called in for questioning by the ministry of culture. A conservative newspaper then published an apology from Radan in which he completely reversed his position, and called gay marriage “reprehensible.”
Nigeria hopes for the future
While opposition to gay people remains high, attitudes in Nigeria may be slowly softening, hastened by recent discussion of same-sex marriage in the United States. Support for the country’s anti-gay laws have dropped nine percent over the last five years, giving hope to gay people in one of the more agressively homophobic countries in Africa.
Read more at the Christian Science Monitor.
On the disappearance of lesbians
At the Huffington Post, lesbian writer Aimee Anderson writes about the disapearance of lesbian culture and lesbian space. Many of the women who once would have been butch lesbians, she says, are now transitioning to male, or taking on gender-fluid identities. Trans victories are good, she writes, but it’s a shame that the lesbian community is disappearing into the sidelines.
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