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Hundreds of same-sex couples in China and the Philippines are turning to Utah’s officiants to marry them online because they are unable to “do me” in their own countries.
Officiant Michael Foley, who called himself a “Walmart Jon Favreau,” has married at least a dozen gay couples in two counties since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, when some weddings were forced to go virtual.
Foley was approached by multiple travel agents asking if he would be open to getting married in the Philippines. In no time at all, the officiant found himself logged into multiple Zoom calls between noon and 3 a.m. wearing a suit on top and comfy pajamas on the bottom.
‘When I got in’ [online weddings], it was because of COVID,” he told DailyMail.com. “Then I started doing all this for gay couples in the Philippines and now in China.”
The officiant, who is also a presenter of a comedy radio show, explained that he did not understand why so many people from China and the Philippines sought his services until he learned that same-sex marriage was illegal in the countries.
“It’s just not a safe place for gay people,” Foley said.
Utah allows officiants and couples to fill out marriage papers online, unlike most states in the US, and for as little as $100. The state also has no residency requirements, making the process easier for couples to get married virtually.
Officiant Michael Foley, who called himself a “Walmart Jon Favreau,” has married at least a dozen gay couples in two counties since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, when some weddings were forced to go virtual.
Foley was approached by multiple travel agents asking if he would be open to getting married in the Philippines. In no time at all, the official noticed that he was logged into multiple Zoom calls between 12 noon and 3 a.m.
About 200 gay couples in China are virtually married in China, despite the country not recognizing them as married
Foley, left, and his wife, Bonnie (right), co-host the ‘Mikey and the Mrs Morning Show’
A majority of the couples he marries are foreign students in China. He said gay couples living permanently in China may be too afraid to come out publicly.
“People living in China are too scared,” he said, referring to the country’s communist leader Xi Jinping.
In June, Foley remotely led Shin and her friend, who lived in Xi’an, China.
The happy couple decorated the room in the background with golden balloons floating behind them.
“We just did it at home because it’s illegal in public — so we couldn’t do it outside,” Shin said. the guard while explaining that she had found Foley on social media.
‘We invited our family and friends to the Zoom meeting and decorated our room together. My girlfriend drew a picture where we said “marry me”. It was super cute,” Shin said.
About 200 gay couples in China are virtually married in China, despite the country not recognizing them as married, according to the publication Rest of the world.
Foley arranges the wedding ceremony around the couple by telling their story for $100. The last wedding he led was for a couple in Shanghai, China earlier this week.
The officiant described the scene from his perspective sitting at his Utah kitchen table. The happy couple from Shanghai decorated the room around them as their loved ones watched from behind on a large TV screen.
More than 60 people tuned in to celebrate the couple.
Foley then turned off his computer and went back to bed.
“Luckily I can fall asleep easily,” he said.
The officiant, who is also a presenter of a comedy radio show, explained that he did not understand why so many people from China and the Philippines sought his services until he learned that same-sex marriage was illegal in the countries.
A majority of the couples he marries are foreign students in China. He said gay couples living permanently in China may be too afraid to come out publicly
Despite the Chinese ban, some gay couples have celebrated their love. Ling Jueding and Chen Liang shared their story with Mailonline earlier in 2015.
The couple defied the police, who had warned them not to let their event go ahead and had come to the ceremony, raising fears it could be shut down.
They also defied the doctor who had once pumped Ling full of drugs in an attempt to “cure” him of the alleged “mental illness” homosexuality.
But, as they previously explained to MailOnline, they hope their act will inspire China to become more accepting of homosexuality, after same-sex marriage was legalized in the US the day before their bash.
The couple managed to evade the Chinese regime safely, but it’s unclear if they faced any consequences later on.
Ling (left) and Chen, who is from Shenzhen city, met in 2013 at an event hosted by Ling’s app company Zank
Chen hurls a bouquet at his scribbling guests who look happy after seeing the ceremony
Chinese officials are known to be unfriendly to gay couples and have taken initiatives to prove it.
In October 2021, the country banned video games involving gay relationships and “effeminate men.”
Under the new rules, characters must have “clear gender” and plots must not have “blurred moral boundaries.”
A leaked memo from Beijing said, “If regulators can’t immediately see the character’s gender, the characters’ setting could be seen as problematic and red flags raised.”
China also censors LGBTQ content, including entertainment series. Popular shows promoting same-sex attraction, such as “Addicted” in 2016, have been removed.