7 Lucky Chinese Couples Get Married in West Hollywood

At June 12, 2015
By danmclellan
In Inspiring Couples, Marriage Equality, News
0

Seven gay couples from China who won a contest made the long trip to West Hollywood, CA this week to get married. According to the Los Angeles Times,

The “We Do” contest, as it was called, was sponsored by the e-commerce behemoth Alibaba and its shopping site Taobao, as well as China’s largest gay dating app, Blued. The couples got marriage licenses at the Beverly Hills Courthouse this week. Though their marriages will not be recognized in China, they are legal in the U.S.

For reasons of social acceptance and parental pressure, many gay men in China — up to 80% by some estimates — will marry women. Homosexuality was severely punished during the Cultural Revolution of 1966-76 under a statute forbidding “hooliganism.” Officially, gay sex was a criminal offense until 1997.
“In the past, homosexuality, gambling and prostitution were all considered dirty subjects and not allowed in the media,” said Li Yinhe, a Chinese sociologist and sexologist. But as the country’s economy has developed and tolerance has grown, the Chinese government has taken a somewhat agnostic approach toward homosexuality, neither banning nor endorsing it, Li said.

The seven happy couples walked down the aisle to “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” in a ceremony held at the West Hollywood Library. As contest winners, the couples had all of their expenses like catering, hotel accommodations and gifts paid for by the sponsors of the contest.

Gay dating apps have exploded in popularity in China and gay weddings are becoming highly talked about events in China. In September, a British diplomat and his Chinese partner made headlines when they got married in Bejing.

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Out High School Student Gives Rejected Graduation Speech

Last month, Longmont, CO high school senior and class valedictorian at Twin Peaks Academy Evan Young was told by school administrators that he would not be allowed to give a graduation speech where he planned to reveal he was gay. Instead, Young gave his speech last weekend to a wildly supportive crowd at Out Boulder’s garden party and award ceremony. Per the Daily Camera:

A nervous and somewhat reluctant Young donned a cape and gave the speech at an Out Boulder awards ceremony at a private home in Boulder. “I’m gay,” he said to enthusiastic cheers. “That’s what I am.” He went on to say that he shouldn’t have to apologize for who he is, but instead expected his classmates to continue to overlook differences, just as they had in the past with other issues.
“We can still be friends, even if we seriously disagree with each other,” he said before ending his speech with exhortations to hug someone who’s different than you.

Twin Peaks Charter Academy had planned on honoring Young for being class valedictorian and achieving a 4.5 GPA but once the school got wind of the planned content, he was denied the opportunity to give the speech or be honored in any way. The school says Young failed to resubmit his speech with the required edits and was later nixed entirely from the May 16 graduation ceremony. Young’s father, however, claims that his son did make the changes and submitted by the deadline.

The audience’s overwhelming response on Sunday was proof that Young’s story of coming out in high school is still an important one. Twin Peaks physics teacher Dallin Witt, who introduced Young at the event, said that the school’s response shows how rampant homophobia still is. “Evan Young’s story has truly resonated with people,” said Witt, who is leaving the school. “He was not honored before, but now is our chance to do just that.”

Greenland’s Parliament Unanimously Approves Same-Sex Marriage

More fantastic marriage equality news from around the globe! Members of Parliament (MPs) in Iceland have unanimously approved same-sex marriage and adoption.

According to Pink News, the country, which has a population of 57,000, voted to adopt Danish legislation on the issue. Two MPs were absent, but none voted against the measure. Greenland will now scrap it’s 1996 domestic partnership laws which were adopted from Denmark. “The bill to make the changes to bring Greenland in line with Denmark, which legalised same-sex marriage in 2012, was announced in February,” Pink News reports. The tiny country introduced discrimination for LGBT people in 2008 and held its first pride event in 2010.

The new measure will go into effect on 1 October 2015 and also grants adoption rights to same-sex couples.

#LoveWins As Ireland Approves Gay Marriage

In a what’s being considered a groundbreaking move in the battle of marriage equality, Ireland became the first nation in the world to approve same-sex marriage by popular vote. While official election numbers won’t be released until later today, Irish officials predict the win for the yes side was substantial. The results are remarkable considering Ireland’s conservative, Catholic past. Nevertheless, The New York Times notes that support for the marriage referendum from,”across the political spectrum, including from Prime Minister Enda Kenny of the center-right Fine Gael party.” Thousands of Irish voters who live out of the country returned just to vote in the election like Naomi O’Leary who captured this elated group of Londoners on their way to vote yes.

From New York and Tokyo to Scotland and beyond, Irish citizens returning home used the hashtag #HomeToVote to chronicle their journey. Come Saturday morning, however, the hashtag #LoveWins was dominating the internet as news of the victory began to spread.

In an interview with the New York Times, David Norris, an Irish senator who 30 years ago helped start the campaign to decriminalize homosexuality in the country, said he was surprised by the level of support for the referendum that he helped champion. “It was wonderful the vote was so overwhelming,” he said. “The straight people of Ireland have said welcome to the Irish family. This should be a template for the rest of the world.”

Celebrate this moment with one of our amazing cards!

Member of the X-Men Comes Out of the Closet

Even superheroes have to bust the closet door down. This week, one of the original members of Marvel’s X-Men officially came out! Per The Advocate:

The current storyline, written by Brian Michael Bendis, follows young versions of the original five X-Men (Iceman, Cyclops, Beast, Angel, and Jean Grey) displaced in time and fighting the never-ending battle in present day. The reveal of Ice Man’s sexuality – long speculated by fans – unfolds in a scene where Jean Grey calls the frosty mutant out for hiding who he is by overcompensating with flirtatious comments aimed at his female teammates. When he denies it, she reminds him she’s a psychic and can read his mind, before he finally lets his guard down and admits he’s got a thing for one of his fellow male mutants.

While a fictional character like Iceman coming out might not seem like a big deal, consider this: according to Comichron, Americans bought a whopping $540.4 million in comic books in 2014. So the presence of an openly gay character in a top-selling series like X-Men is something worth-celebrating.

And speaking of celebrating, pick up the X-Men or Wonder Woman in your life a card here!

Guam Lifts Ban On Same Sex Marriage

This week, Guam took big steps in becoming the first US territory to recognize gay marriage. According to the New York Times, Elizabeth Barrett-Anderson, Guam attorney general announced that she had ordered that marriage licences be processed for same-sex couples. “Today I have issued a legal memorandum… advising the department to immediately begin accepting and processing applications for marriage licences from persons of the same gender,” she said in a statement. Per the Times:

The U.S. District Court of Guam falls under the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which has ruled in favor of gay marriage. Barrett-Anderson said her directive stems from the 9th Circuit’s decision in October finding state bans on gay marriage unconstitutional. The Department of Public Health and Social Services should treat “all same gender marriage applicants with dignity and equality under the Constitution,” the attorney general said.

Guam’s stance on gay marriage came under fire last week when lesbian couple Loretta Pangelinan and Kathleen Aguero filed a lawsuit after their application for a marriage license was rejected. While more traditional lawmakers in Guam like governor Eddie Baza Calvo are predicted to block same-sex marriage legislation, the couple is reportedly thrilled with the actions of the attorney general and see it as a change in the country’s attitudes towards marriage equality.

Four Reasons to Give a Card

At Proudly Yours, we believe that the best cards might be the ones sent “just because”. Our cards are perfect for giving on a birthday, an anniversary and any old random Tuesday. Nevertheless, we do understand that many people need an occasion to be festive so we’ve come up with “Four Reasons to Give a Card” to help inspire you to send a card to that person you love.

National Pet Day! April 11th is National Pet Day so why not send a card “from the dog” or “from the cat” to tell your significant other how much you appreciate the unconditional love and care they give your pet (and you).

Barry Manilow got Married! Love and marriage isn’t just for those young whippersnappers. This week, the world found out that pop star Barry Manilow and longtime his manager Garry Kief were secretly married in a ceremony in front of 50 guests. We say, “Mazel Tov!” to Barry and Garry and hope their union inspires other longtime couples,of any age, to celebrate each other.

The End of Conversion Therapy is Near! Also this week, President Obama publicly called for an end to conversion therapies for gay and transgender youth. The action comes after the tragic death of 17-year-old Leelah Alcorn last December. Way to go, White House! So sign the petition and then send a card to someone special. Tell them you love them just the way they are.

Your Partner Said Yes! Perhaps it’s because it’s spring but we certainly have noticed lots of couples getting engaged. If you’re lucky enough to be one of them, celebrate this happy news with a heartfelt, “Thank you for saying yes” card.

Get all of our cards perfect for all occasions right here.

Irish Paper Company Turns Hate Into Confetti

As a company that celebrates love, we’re always thrilled to read about other businesses around the globe who are doing the same thing. Like Daintree Paper, a handmade paper company out of Dublin, Ireland. After seeing the streets littered with anti-gay literature being distributed to oppose Ireland’s pro-gay marriage referendum, Daintree decided to turn something negative into something creative.

According to Pink News, “Extreme anti-gay leaflets have been distributed by groups ahead of the referendum, with some claiming that being gay will give you cancer, and equal marriage ‘exposes’ children to the ‘sounds of Sodomy.'”Daintree Paper, in turn, has “begun to offer a special service – shredding the anti-gay literature and re-purposing it as wedding confetti for same-sex couples. The company has appealed to members of the public to forward them any homophobic literature they receive, with the proceeds from the confetti sales going to campaign group Yes Equality.” An ad for Daintree explains it further by saying,”“We want to collect any negative and dishonest fliers, leaflets and online literature – and recycle them into something positive, with all proceeds going to Yes Equality. Whenever ugly lies are printed.. we’ll make beautiful confetti.” Awesome!

Under new ownership since last year, this is a delightful change for Daintree who last made news when its previous owner refused to stock same-sex cake toppers in 2013. Ireland will vote on the referendum which states,“Marriage may be contracted in accordance with law by two persons without distinction as to their sex”, on May 22.

Get a card to go with that confetti here!

Tokyo Ward Becomes First Place in Japan To Recognize Same-Sex Couples

While it’s not full-on marriage equality, the Shibuya disctrict in Tokyo, Japan is taking significant steps to recognize the rights of same-sex couples. According to CNN:

The government of Shibuya ward, one of the capital’s most famous shopping and trendy entertainment districts, passed ordinance on Wednesday paving the way for “partnership certificates” for same-sex couples, allowing them some of the rights of married heterosexual couples.

Same-sex partners who are registered with the district’s ward office will be able to hold visitation rights in hospitals and co-sign tenancy agreements.

Other advantages that heterosexual married couples enjoy, such as joint filing of taxes, are controlled by the federal government and are outside the remit of individual municipalities.

The certificates, which are not legally binding, won’t be issued until later in the summer but proponents of marriage equality say Shibuya’s actions are a step in the right direction.”It is not a marriage license and advantages will be limited but still better than nothing,” Gon Matsunaka, a gay rights activist, told CNN. “What is important for the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community in Shibuya is the ruling will make us visible in society. It could be a strong driver for Shibuya citizens to learn and know what kind of problems LGBT people are facing,” Matsunaka said. For an incredibly conservative country like Japan, Shibuya’s steps are considered to be progressive and a reason to celebrate for Tokyo’s LGBT community. Neighboring ward Setagaya has indicated it would look into following Shibuya’s lead, according to CNN. A recent poll found that as high as 70% of Japanese young adults in their 20’s and 30’s support marriage equality.

On such momentous progress we say, “Omedetōgozaimasu!” to our friends in Japan and you too can say “Congratulations!’ with one of our terrific cards.