Taiwan Becomes the First Country in Asia to Legalize Marriage Equality

Feature image via HRC’s Twitter

In 2017, Taiwan’s constitutional court ruled in favor of marriage equality and gave parliament two years to get it done. Yesterday, they did! After debating three different bills to legalize same-sex marriage — taking into account that 67% of Taiwanese voters cast their ballots to reject same-sex marriage in a referendum last year — lawmakers voted to pass the most progressive one (the one that didn’t refer marriage as “same-sex family relationships” or “same-sex unions”). When Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen signs the bill, it will become law. Taiwan becomes the first state or country in Asia to pass marriage equality legislation.

Despite staunch conservative lobbying and opposition to the vote in recent months tens of thousands of LGBTQ+ people gathered in the streets in the rain outside of parliament to await the decision.

Once the rain finally stopped, Equal Love Taiwan snapped a photo of the clouds breaking open to reveal a literal rainbow. Gay couples will be able to begin getting married on May 24th!

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Heather Hogan

Heather Hogan is an Autostraddle senior editor who lives in New York City with her wife, Stacy, and their cackle of rescued pets. She's a member of the Television Critics Association, GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, and a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer critic. You can also find her on Twitter and Instagram.

Heather has written 1718 articles for us.

10 Comments

  1. Actually,there is a little mistake in this article.

    The referendum results about same-sex marriage include two parts.First one is that current civil law about marriage is only belongs to heterosexual marriage. Second part is, same-sex marriage have to be pass another specile law.
    So, yesterday’s result is kind of a balance between constitutional interpretation and the results of referendum.
    Still, I’m gratitude of this article. We are proud of our country, and are willing to share the joy with the lgbt+ community worldwide.

  2. marriage equality in Taiwan and equal rights in the US house of representatives. All of that on international day against homophobia. Today is a good day for our people

  3. This is great news. Doesn’t Vietnam also recognize same sex marriages that happen in their country?

    • I believe Vietnam just legalized same sex wedding ceremonies, they still don’t offer any legal status for same sex couples.

        • I mean, no it doesn’t make sense, why on earth would it have ever been illegal to perform a harmless ceremony that doesn’t have any legal significance?

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