As proponents of equality across the globe celebrated New York State's recent passage of a marriage equality bill, eight lesbian and gay couples were married in a mass ceremony in Baguio City, Philippines, on Saturday. The event was hosted by the ecumenical Metropolitan Community Church of Metro Baguio (MCCMB), which provided pre-wedding counseling before the event in various areas of the country and handed out to interested LGBT couples their own version of "Requirements for Holy Union."

While the weddings are not legally binding nationwide, they were performed as part of the fifth Baguio Gay Pride celebration, which sought to draw support for House Bill No. 1483 (Anti-Discrimination Act of 2010), a measure that would penalize those who discriminate against gay people, and, as a matter of course, force the state to legally recognize the presence in the Philippines of non-heterosexual orientations, reports Inquirer News.