marriage
Singapore repeals gay sex ban but blocks same-sex marriage
- Singapore’s colonial-era Section 377A, which prescribed a prison sentence of up to two years for men who engaged in any kind of sexual activity with other men, was officially repealed on Tuesday.
- The city-state’s parliament also amended the constitution to effectively block equal marital rights for LGBTQ-plus couples by strengthening the current legal definition of marriage as between a man and a woman.
- Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong wrote on Facebook that both of the constitutional changes were "balanced, wise steps forward.”
- Singaporean members of the LGBTQ-plus community have expressed hope that the repeal of 377A could someday pave the way for equal marital rights.
Singapore has officially repealed a colonial-era law that criminalized sex between men, the city-state’s parliament announced this week.
Section 377A, which had been condemned by advocates as discriminatory, prescribed a prison sentence of up to two years for men who engaged in any kind of sexual activity with other men, reported the AFP news agency.
PGA Tour star Collin Morikawa marries longtime girlfriend Katherine Zhu
- 25-year-old PGA Tour star Collin Morikawa married his long-time girlfriend, Katherine Zhu, on Saturday.
- Zhu posted pictures taken during their wedding – complete with a cameo of their dog Koa in a tuxedo – on Instagram on Monday.
- “11.26.22 A day we will remember forever,” Zhu wrote in the caption of her post, which has already received over 10,000 likes.
- Morikawa and Zhu, who have been in a relationship for over five years now, tied the knot almost a year after they announced their engagement in November 2021.
- Throughout their relationship, Zhu has stayed by Morikawa's side, consistently supporting him whenever he competes for major titles.
PGA Tour star Collin Morikawa married his longtime girlfriend, Katherine Zhu, on Saturday.
Morikawa, 25, has been in a relationship with Zhu, 25, for over five years now. The couple, who met through college golf while attending the University of California, Berkeley, tied the knot almost a year after they announced their engagement in November 2021.
Mitch McConnell votes against interracial marriages bill despite being in interracial marriage
- Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell voted against the Respect for Marriage Act, which includes the protection of interracial marriages, despite being married to Elaine Chao, the first woman of Asian heritage to be elected to a presidential cabinet.
- The bill would require all states to recognize legal marriages where they were performed, regardless of “sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin.”
- Following his vote against advancing the legislation, McConell was criticized on social media by users who pointed to his relationship with Chao.
- Regardless of McConnell’s vote, the bill is to pass the Senate this week after it received the 60 votes it needed to move forward.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has voted against the Respect for Marriage Act, which includes the protection of interracial marriages, despite being married to former U.S. Secretary for Transportation Elaine Chao, who is Taiwanese American.
McConnell, who was recently re-elected as leader of the Senate GOP on Wednesday, is married to Chao, who previously made history as the first woman of Asian heritage to be elected to a presidential cabinet.
Chinese woman goes viral after declaring she prefers ‘high-quality singlehood’ over ‘low-quality marriage’
- A 36-year-old unnamed Chinese woman in Dalian, a city in China’s Liaoning province, has ignited discussions on Chinese social media after declaring that she would prefer “high-quality singlehood” over “low-quality marriage.”
- “I think nowadays women are no longer living in the age of depending on men in marriage, so I find my way to live my life,” she says in the now-viral video shared by Star Video.
- Her story has reportedly garnered over 270,000 views and more than 27,000 comments from social media users.
A Chinese woman has gone viral after declaring that she prefers “high-quality singlehood” over “low-quality marriage.”
The 36-year-old unnamed woman, who lives alone in her home in Dalian, a city in China’s Liaoning province, said she would rather live alone and be independent than commit to a relationship for the sake of getting married.
Chinese couple marry at age 94 after remeeting for first time in nearly 70 years
- Xu Guizhen and Cao Zhenwei, a Chinese couple who have known each other since they were 16 years old, finally got married in 2020 after spending almost 70 years apart.
- Xu and Cao, both 96, grew up together as their fathers owned a photo studio together in Weihai, a city in eastern China’s Shandong province.
- The two families eventually moved to Shanghai, bringing along their business with them, amid the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937.
- Xu and her family moved to another province years later, and they kept on moving to other places around China after that.
- Xu and Cao finally reunited for good after Cao met Xu’s younger brother at a retired workers’ party in Shanghai in 2019.
A Chinese couple who have known each other since they were 16 years old have finally tied the knot after being apart for nearly 70 years.
Xu Guizhen and Cao Zhenwei, both 96 years old, were born on the exact same day in 1926. Their fates were intertwined due to the close friendship of their fathers, who started and operated a photo studio together in Weihai, a city in eastern China’s Shandong province.
61-year-old Indonesian man to marry for 88th time
- Kaan, a 61-year-old man from Indonesia, was dubbed the “Playboy King” for having been married 87 times.
- His first marriage was when he was 14-years-old with a girl who was then 16-years-old.
- Although their marriage lasted for two years, she asked for a divorce due to his bad behavior at the time, prompting Kaan to seek “spiritual” knowledge to make many women fall in love with him.
- The “Playboy King” said he was planning his 88th wedding with one of his ex-wives because he could not refuse her request.
- “All this time, she is still ‘crazy’ about me even though we were only married for a month,” Kaan told local media.
A 61-year-old man from Indonesia was dubbed the “Playboy King” for having purportedly been married 87 times.
The man, identified as Kaan, is a farmer from Majalengka, West Java province. His first marriage took place when he was only 14-years-old with a girl who was then 16-years-old.
Mandatory ‘love education’ course for college students gains support in China
- The Chinese Ministry of Education has expressed support for a lawmaker’s proposal to include “love and marriage” values in the curriculum for universities and colleges in China.
- National People Congress deputy Huang Xihua filed a proposal in March to teach tertiary students the skills needed to establish “the correct view of love, marriage and family” and “maintain family relationships.”
- The initiative became a trending topic on Weibo, with many expressing their support and a few having doubts on the capacity of teachers in handling such a delicate subject.
A proposal to include “love and marriage” values in the curriculum for all universities and colleges is gaining traction in China.
The National People Congress (NPC) deputy had earlier recommended that family education be made a compulsory course in tertiary education to encourage “vast and enthusiastic cultural activities on campus” and guide students in establishing “the correct view of love, marriage and family.” The proposal has received support from the Chinese Ministry of Education.
Man in China arrested for marrying off underage, mentally disabled daughter to 3 different men for money
- A man in central China has been arrested for marrying off his disabled teenage daughter to three older men between 2018 and 2021 for profit.
- Although his daughter was born in 2005, the man claimed that she was over 20 years old.
- The man allegedly collected tens of thousands of yuan from all three men.
- Prosecutors are currently determining whether to charge the man.
A man in central China married off his mentally disabled teenage daughter on three occasions between 2018 and 2021 to three different men for cash.
The father, surnamed Xie, from Lianyuan Hunan province, sold his daughter Tingting to receive bride payments. He claimed that his daughter was over 20 years old, although she was born in January 2005.
Married woman in China who dated 18 men at once arrested for scamming them out of $300,000
- A married woman in China allegedly scammed around 20 men into funding her luxurious lifestyle, totaling more than 2 million yuan (approximately $296,256).
- The 29-year-old woman would fake a marriage agreement and request money to help various family members.
- The woman has been legally married since 2014 and has a 2-year-old son.
- Police are currently investigating the situation.
To fund her lavish lifestyle, a married woman in China reportedly conned almost 20 men into giving her a total of 2 million yuan (approximately $296,256) since 2017.
The 29-year-old woman, surnamed Wu, began luring men into fake marriage agreements in 2017, even allegedly dating 18 men at once, reported Shanghai TV.
Chinese woman facing nonstop pressure from her parents to get married develops severe anxiety disorder
- A 27-year-old woman in China purportedly developed severe anxiety due to incessant pressure from her parents to get married.
- The woman reportedly went to a local hospital after suffering various symptoms, including a panic attack, difficulty breathing, numbness and twitching limbs.
- A doctor explained that the woman’s symptoms were triggered after she got into an argument with her parents about marriage.
- The woman was diagnosed with anxiety disorder and respiratory alkalosis.
Doctors in China recently diagnosed a 27-year-old woman with severe anxiety disorder caused by the relentless pressure from her parents to get married.
The woman, who resides in Jinan, Shandong province of eastern China, recently went to Qilu Hospital at Shandong University and received treatment after suffering various symptoms, including a panic attack, difficult breathing, numbness and twitching limbs. She was later diagnosed with severe anxiety disorder and respiratory alkalosis.
Father in China gifts his son 20 properties to help him attract a wife
- A Chinese father reportedly gifted his son with 20 properties in a bid to help him find a wife.
- The anonymous father met with a matchmaker who filmed the meeting and brought a pink bag containing 20 deeds for the properties he bought his son.
- The father described his son as a “decent man” with “a very promising job,” and the matchmaker, Zhang, promised to find the man’s son a good wife.
- Zhang’s video, which was posted across various Chinese social media platforms, sparked an online debate in which some praised the father for helping his son, while others questioned the son’s ability to find his own partner.
To help his son find a wife, a father from Hebei Province in northern China gifted his 24-year-old son with 20 properties.
After seeing his son participate in a matchmaking corner, a public area where matchmakers hold meetings with parents and their single children, the anonymous father was motivated to find a prospective daughter-in-law.
Chinese woman who suffered child loss, divorce and paralysis finds love with her best friend’s son
- After losing her son and becoming paralyzed in an accident, a 34-year-old Chinese woman found love with her best friend’s son.
- Yin Houping first met her best friend Huang Junping, 51, in 2014 when the two became neighbors in Yichang of central China’s Hubei Province.
- In 2014, Yin lost her 3-year-old son in a drowning accident and became paralyzed two years later after she was hit by a falling tree branch in 2016.
- Yin’s husband asked for a divorce shortly after her accident, which Yin finally accepted in 2020 when her husband took custody of their daughter.
- After the divorce was settled, Huang suggested that Yin go on a date with her now-30-year-old son Zhao Yingfeng.
- The couple eventually married in 2021 and are now expecting their first child in two months.
A 34-year-old Chinese woman who suffered a harrowing series of life events, including child loss, divorce and paralysis, has found love with her best friend’s son.
Yin Houping first met her best friend, Huang Junping, 51, in 2014 when the two became neighbors in Yichang, Hubei Province in central China. Yin’s 3-year-old son had recently fatally drowned, and Huang comforted Yin through her grief, reported South China Morning Post.
