In October, one of the largest LGBTQ events in Asia was held in Taipei, Taiwan, attracting over eighty thousand people.
Below are excerpts from a story from the Associated Press:
” (AP) — Su Shan and her partner are raising 5-month-old twins together, but only one of the women is their legal parent. That could soon change as Taiwan appears set to become the first place in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage.
“Now, if something happens to the child, the other partner is nothing but a stranger,” said Su, a 35-year-old software engineer in Taipei. By contrast, either partner in a legally recognized marriage could make legal, medical and educational decisions, she says.”
Taiwanese lawmakers are currently working on three bills in support of marriage equality, one of which is already listed for review and could be passed within months. Same-sex marriage also has the prominent support of President Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan’s first female head of state.
Taiwan's newly-elected president Tsai Ing-wen is a huge animal rights and gay rights supporters. https://t.co/iTMDuffWR8 #TaiwanElection
— TorontoDiary.ca (@TOdiary) January 16, 2016
About 80 percent of Taiwanese between ages 20 and 29 support same-sex marriage, said Tseng Yen-jung, spokeswoman for the group Taiwan LGBT Family Rights Advocacy , citing local university studies. Taiwan’s United Daily News found in a survey taken four years ago that 55 percent of the public supported same-sex marriage, with 37 percent opposed.
Those In Favor….
Proud to be part of Taiwan #LGBT Pride march #TaipeiPride #equality pic.twitter.com/bKY9MZnepK
— Goldman Sachs (@GoldmanSachs) October 31, 2016
Taiwan set to legalize same-sex marriage, a first in Asia https://t.co/rwwJ7Wgwve #LoveIsLove #LGBTQ #LGBT pic.twitter.com/yXktkc1DNJ
— NBC OUT (@NBCOUT) November 10, 2016
Those Opposed….
An anti-same-sex marriage group – The Happiness of the Next Generation Alliance (中文 )(Photo Credit: Far-Eastern Sweet Potato)
That’s seen as a reflection of Taiwan’s ready acceptance of multi-party democracy and other inclusive attitudes, as well as the fact that Taiwan’s 23 million people largely follow Buddhism and traditional Chinese religions that take no strong positions on sexual orientation or gay marriage.
Can Taiwan be the first in Asia to legalise gay marriage? https://t.co/0kNDZxf8As
— Pak Yiu (@pakwayne) January 20, 2016
Gay and lesbian relationships began to find wide acceptance in the 1990s, aided by the already well-established feminist movement, said Jens Damm, associate Professor in the Graduate Institute of Taiwan Studies at Chang Jung University in Taiwan.
Read original AP story here.
