“A top European court on Tuesday, November 25, ruled that an EU nation had to recognise a gay marriage recorded in another member state, following a complaint by two Poles married in Germany.”

From Le Monde.

“A survey conducted jointly by NPO Nijiiro Diversity and the Shibuya municipal government in Tokyo found that 530 Japanese prefectures and municipalities have adopted same-sex partnership systems as of May 31, 2025. At present, 92.5% of the population in Japan has access to such systems, after a year-on-year increase of 7.4 percentage points. To date, 9,836 partnership certificates have been issued to couples.

Under partnership systems, same-sex couples who live together can register for a certificate recognizing their relationship as equivalent to marriage. Obtaining a certificate makes it possible for same-sex partners to be recognized as family and enjoy the same administrative services as their heterosexual counterparts, such as being able to apply for public housing together.

Local governments have introduced partnership systems to help compensate for Japan not legally recognizing same-sex marriages. The movement received a major boost in 2022 when the metropolis of Tokyo, with a population of 14 million, introduced its own system.

This year’s survey found that 33 of Japan’s 47 prefectures have same-sex partnership systems in 100% of their municipalities. With the introduction of systems in Sendai, Fukushima, Matsuyama, and other cities, coverage extends to all of the country’s prefectural capitals and designated cities.”

From Nippon.com.

“The first nationwide law allowing same-sex couples to marry was passed in the Netherlands in 2001. Amsterdam’s mayor, Job Cohen, officiated the first couples. Twenty-five years on, these rights to same-sex marriage now cover 1.5 billion people worldwide.

These people live in 39 countries with marriage equality, mainly across Western Europe and the Americas.

This change in marriage laws has made a huge difference to the lives of many. But they are still in the minority globally. Four in five people still live in countries where same-sex couples are not equal under the law.”

From Our World in Data.

“Forty years ago, public views about homosexuality were extremely negative in many rich countries. As the chart shows, back in 1984, one in three Dutch people believed homosexuality was ‘never or rarely justified’. In Spain and Great Britain, that view was held by the majority. Perhaps most strikingly, three-quarters of Americans thought the same.

Since then, levels of discrimination have plummeted. Today, the share of people in these countries who think that homosexuality is ‘never or rarely justified’ makes up a shrinking minority.”

From Our World in Data.