what happened last week in Asia, Africa and the Americas

Thailand might legalize same-sex marriage as the first country in Southeast Asia

What happened

• Nepal: In June 2023, Nepal became the first South Asian country to order legal registration of same-sex marriages.
• Taiwan: Taiwan has been moving towards full marriage equality. In January 2023, it lifted restrictions on registering same-sex marriages between Taiwanese and foreign nationals. Additionally, Taiwan granted full adoption rights to same-sex couples in May​​.
• Vietnam: Vietnam's Health Ministry declared in August 2022 that homosexuality is "not an illness," instructing medical practitioners to stop treating it as such.
• Singapore: Singapore repealed a colonial-era law banning gay sex in November 2022. However, the government also introduced constitutional amendments to limit marriage to heterosexual couples, signaling mixed progress​​.
• Japan: Japan has experienced growing pressure to legalize same-sex marriage following court rulings declaring same-sex marriage bans unconstitutional.
• South Korea: A court recognized the rights of same-sex couples to receive health insurance for the first time​​.

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