Tokyo Disneyland has had a rare brush with controversy, after it decided it will allow gay marriage ceremonies, delighting Japan’s typically quiet gay rights advocates and mildly annoying the less tolerant masses.
As might be expected of Japan, the impetus for the change came not from vociferous protests from gay rights advocates or religious maniacs finally being defeated, but from a minor administrative policy change brought on by a hint of controversy.
When a Tokyo-based lesbian couple asked if they could book a “marriage” ceremony (Japan has neither same sex marriage or civil partnerships, so it is the ceremony only), they were condescendingly told “ordinary customers are watching, so we would like one of you to come dressed as the bridegroom.”
This greatly disappointed the couple, and they made their dissatisfaction known on Twitter, and Tokyo Disneyland (often called “TDL” or, less flatteringly, “ratland”) was soon conferring with its masters in America as to whether it could allow a marriage ceremony between two women dressed as brides.
They relented, and a week later it was made known that “marriage ceremonies between same sex couples wearing the same costumes are possible.”
Tokyo Disneyland conceded that “even if same sex marriage is not legally recognised, we judged it was possible to hold these marriage ceremonies.”
The couple in question was later treated to the Mickey Mouse wedding of their dreams, and their success was widely reported.
The USA’s various Disneyland resorts have offered similar ceremonies for some time, although unlike Japan’s these are actually legally recognised (in certain states at least).
As there is virtually no pressure for or against legally recognising same-sex marriage in Japan, a fake Disney wedding is likely the most homosexual couples in Japan can ever hope for, although those who have changed sexes are already able to marry without issue.
Japan’s legal definition of marriage is actually laid out in the nation’s constitution, using language which would traditionally be interpreted along strict “man and wife” lines, so many are of the opinion that no less than a full constitutional amendment would be required to allow it.
Others are of the opinion that some careful changes to civil marriage law could allow it – although given that even a law enabling something as inoffensive as allowing married couples to retain different surnames (although Japan already has a long tradition of allowing men to adopt their wife’s surname) has repeatedly failed to be passed and faces significant public opposition, this also seems a distant prospect.
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Yatta!
The real problem is who the fuck would want to get married at Disneyland in the first place?.....
People looking to spend over $1000(who knows how much really, may even be over $5000) for strangers to stare at them.
nonono, the real problem is marriage itself.
They probably showed up there to create some controversy and hoped they could tell there story in magazines and tv about how Disney wouldn't let them marry..
.. couple of years from now they will realize how terrible marriage is, and decide to get a divorce, maybe at disneyland again.
It's not a real/legally binding marriage tho, so at least they can't even get a divorce.
Fake marriage seems preferably to real marriage anyways, but dropping 5 grand on it? I hope they forced people to give them wedding gifts and strippers.
Here in Brazil every marriage item is divisible by 500 dollars (1000 BRL).
Flowers? 500 bucks
Wedding Cake? 500 or 1000 dollars.
Wedding place (church, barbecue house, grand restaurant, .etc): 5000 to 15000 dollars.
Wedding Dress: US$ 1000 (renal) to more than US$ 2500
Groom Suit Rental: 500 USD.
And the list go on.
they want the priest is Mickey mouse apparantly
95% of those filthy Americans are barbaric gays and lesbians.
Said the closet homosexual :D
You must be thinking of France.
And we also have lots of ignorant idiots and retarded homophiles who promote homosexuality and demand special rights for it.
Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but french people are mostly morrons. We have LOTS of conservative jerks that are against gay marriage.
@kaarme
aren't the franks called barbaric by roman empire, like every other germanic tribe? =x
The French can be accused of many things, but only a nameless savage could call them barbaric.
You must be american!
That's right, 19 out of 20 people in America prefer their own gender. The only way we keep the numbers up is a government program that puts us in factory lines to copulate. All immigrants who come to America also become gay on the spot.
...i hope you're joking.
Because.....it's the happiest place on earth? >.>
exactly, regardless of being homo or hetero....
who in their right minds would get married at Ratland?
I have to agree with you on that. They must be Disney otaku or something.
Why else would anyone want to spend 5000 USD or something to get married at a Disney park in Japan or anywhere else?
If you think it only costs 5000 USD, you are dreaming.
"amurica" really should follow Japan's example. The homo culture in the former country really is a public embarrassment. I mean, men dancing in the streets like they have mental illnesses?
The gay parades are a joke but who wants to be like japan... where most men are dreaming to be women and raped by tentacles.
Queen's Blade - a new joint Disney production.
Yes, but can you have fake same sex marriage with cross dressers?
what if booth of them are cross dresser .....
Stop family combo dude...
you may snowball the bride
Wierdest wedding I ever went to (I live in USA) was one where person 1 was a woman, dressed as a woman, and person 2 was a man, dressed as a woman. He was saving up money for a sex-change operation so he could become physically (though not genetically) a woman.
They both were happy, so who cares?
That actually sounds pretty awesome.
If this kind of marriage is okay, sibling marriage should be okay there too!
I don't think there is a law against incest marriage.
infact incest is more tolerated than homosexuality.
I would actually like to see a Strike Witches themed wedding.
hardcore yuri action?
Nothing can stand in the way of asian lesbian couples!
Should have made a Yuruyuri theme park instead...
Finally, we have some GOOD news on Sankaku, at last!
Not exactly good news.
also You forgot the fact that the law in japan does not permit gay marriage. this right here is not an official gay marriage. i'm pretty sure this'll come back at them and bite them in the ass, though i have my doubts, since it's just some random secret ceremony.
Does not permit homosexual marriage, unless one of them have changed sex.
Changed sex marriage is allowed in japan and pretty much half the countries.
"gay rights advocates" ???
hey where are "lolicon rights advocates"???
or "pedophile rights advocates"?
or "futa rights advocates"?
or "furry rights advocates"?
We also want that people stop discriminating us!
Lurking in the shadows, we are waiting for our time, brother.
expecting ishihara to whine about the declining birth rates again
I.P.S!
I.P.S!
who said less tolerant. i think they just don have much interest about that issue.
Individuals today are so intoxicated with freedom, ignorance and egoism, that the society as a group became defenseless.
"Take away my obligations, my responsibility, my healthy mind, just give me those damn liberties, and I'll be on my way." - is the sad-sad world of today - a crumbling global society.
Who gives a shit, it's not legally recognised.
a weird place full of strangers to look at you, people in animal suits... Hey ! the perfect place for a gay furry marriage
And what about loli marriage?
Now the real question is - will they allow a marriage with realdolls? Or bodypillows? Or robots? Or 2D waifus?
That was allowed since the appearance of the otakus.