As of 2021, marriage between people of the same sex has been legally performed in 29 countries. The Netherlands was the first country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage exactly 20 years ago, with the most recent being Costa Rica in 2020. No country has reversed a law allowing same-sex marriage, while support for same-sex marriage has also increased. In 2019, Taiwan became the first government in Asia to welcome legalisation on same-sex marriage. A Japanese court ruled that the government's failure to allow same-sex marriages is violating Article 14 of the Constitution, which ensures the right to equality. Other countries in Asia, including Thailand, have also been discussing the prospect of legalising same-sex marriage.
However, fighting for equality in marriage is nowhere near completion. Most parts of Asia, Africa, and Latin America still have laws banning same-sex marriage, with nearly 70 countries continuing to criminalise same-sex relations. The world is polarised regarding LGBTIQ acceptance. The rise of nationalism, anti-globalisation and undiscovered intersectional impacts of the pandemic on the marriage equality movement have meant that opposition remains strong in many countries.
In that context, an online international conference titled “Legalisation of Same-sex Marriage: A Global Perspective” will be co-hosted on 7-8 December 2021 by:
- School of Law, Vietnam National University Hanoi
- Asian Law Centre, Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne
- The iSEE Institute, Vietnam
The themes of the online conference will include:
- Legalisation of same-sex marriage in countries
- Effective legal frameworks for same-sex marriage
- Social, economic and cultural impacts of same-sex marriage after legalisation
- Civil unions, registered partnerships, domestic partnerships for same-sex couples
- Adaption of non-binary, non-heteronormative legislation
- Marriages of transgender people
- Adaption of non-binary, non-heteronormative legislation
- Joint adoption, single parent, same-sex parenting, surrogacy
- Transnational marriage involving same-sex unions
- Raising public awareness and social acceptance of same-sex marriage
- The role of NGOs and civil society in building community and advocating for marriage equality
Call for Papers
We invite scholars and practitioners working in the following areas to submit abstracts that would fit within the broad themes of the conference. The themes of the online conference will include:
- Legalisation of same-sex marriage in countries
- Effective legal frameworks for same-sex marriage
- Social, economic and cultural impacts of same-sex marriage after legalisation
- Civil unions, registered partnerships, domestic partnerships for same-sex couples
- Adaption of non-binary, non-heteronormative legislation
- Marriages of transgender people
- Adaption of non-binary, non-heteronormative legislation
- Joint adoption, single parent, same-sex parenting, surrogacy
- Transnational marriage involving same-sex unions
- Raising public awareness and social acceptance of same-sex marriage
- The role of NGOs and civil society in building community and advocating for marriage equality
Details about requirements of abstracts and papers are available via the link below:
Submission of Abstracts
Authors should submit a 200-300 word abstract, which includes a title of the proposed paper and his/her short biographical details (including name, email, academic appointment, affiliations). Abstracts are to be submitted by 15 October 2021 via the link below:
Conference Program
The conference will take place on 7-8 December, 2021
7 December:
Hanoi time - GMT+7: 8:30am-12:30pm
Melbourne time - GMT+11: 12:30pm-4:30pm
8 December:
Hanoi time - GMT+7: 8:30am-12:45pm
Melbourne time - GMT+11: 12:30pm-4:45pm