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Marriage Equality Trajectories in the United States and Japan

Brian Watson

Saitama, 1988-1991

The path to marriage equality in the United States is a tortuous one that began in 1970 and concluded with two landmark Supreme Court rulings in 2013 and 2015: United States v. Windsor and Obergefell v. Hodges, respectively. The trajectory to marriage equality currently in progress in Japan bears some similarities to the United States’ trajectory; as such, some lessons from the United States might be applicable in Japan.

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About the Author

Brian is currently revising his first memoir, Crying in a Foreign Language: Pink Lady, Fictional Girlfriends, and the Deity that Answered My Plea. It has yet to be published.
Originally from New York State, he now lives in the Seattle area after years in Massachusetts, Saitama, Tōkyō, and British Columbia. He spends his days with his partner/spouse of twenty-eight years, Hiro. Brian also spent ten years living in Japan, three of which were as an Assistant Language Teacher for the Saitama Prefectural Board of Education, and three of which were as a Programme Coordinator for the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations.
Brian lives online at iambrianwatson.com and he tweets from @iambrianwatson.

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About the JETs on Japan Forum

The JETs on Japan Forum is a partnership between USJETAA and Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA (Sasakawa USA) that features selected articles of JET alumni perspectives on U.S.-Japan relations. The series aims to elevate the awareness and visibility of JET alumni working across diverse sectors and provides a platform for JET alumni to contribute to deeper understanding of U.S.-Japan relations from their fields. The articles will be posted on USJETAA’s website to serve as resource to the wider JET alumni and U.S.-Japan communities on how alumni of this exchange program are continuing to serve as informal ambassadors in U.S.-Japan relations.

Submissions are encouraged from mid-to-senior level professionals who are established in the current fields OR current/recent graduate degree students in both masters and doctoral programs. Click here for more information on how to submit a proposal for consideration.