AP: Gay activists in Asia upbeat about impact of US court ruling

[Omaha Steve]

Filipino LGBTs (Lesbians Gays Bisexual and Transgenders) kiss as they gather for a Gay Pride rally Saturday, June 27, 2015 in Manila, Philippines, to push for LGBT rights and to celebrate the U.S. Supreme Court decision recognizing gay marriages in all U.S. states as a victory for their cause. The rally was scheduled to commemorate the 1969 demonstrations in New York City that started the gay rights movement around the world. Jonas Bagas, executive director of the pro-LGBT rights group TLF Share, said the U.S. court ruling “will reverberate in other corners of the world.” (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/80fa3a4992764c78a7faa8693cfd9a0a/gay-activists-asia-upbeat-about-impact-us-court-ruling

Gay rights activists in Asia, where no country allows same-sex couples to legally marry, are upbeat about prospects for a change following the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling legalizing such marriages in every state of the nation.

A look at some of the reactions and background on gay rights:

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SOUTH KOREA

South Koreans' attitudes toward sexual minorities have been shaped by a patriarchal culture that emphasizes traditional values and the experience of military dictatorships that condemned homosexuality. Conservative Christianity, which was mainly imported from the U.S., is strong in the country and a powerful political lobby.

"Following the legalization of same-sex marriages in European countries, the decision in the U.S. strengthens the sense that this is the inevitable way of moving forward, and South Korean politicians will be required to express their thoughts on it," said Han Ga-ram, an openly-gay human rights lawyer and activist.

FULL story at link.