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| Taiwan holds first gay marriages in historic day for Asia | Taiwan holds first gay marriages in historic day for Asia |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Taiwan’s first official same-sex weddings kicked off on Friday in a landmark moment for LGBT rights in Asia and the culmination of a three-decade fight for equality. | Taiwan’s first official same-sex weddings kicked off on Friday in a landmark moment for LGBT rights in Asia and the culmination of a three-decade fight for equality. |
| Shane Lin and Marc Yuan, a couple who fell in love at college, were the first to arrive at a government office in downtown Taipei. | Shane Lin and Marc Yuan, a couple who fell in love at college, were the first to arrive at a government office in downtown Taipei. |
| 'Things are quite tense': Taiwan on edge as same-sex marriage vote looms | 'Things are quite tense': Taiwan on edge as same-sex marriage vote looms |
| Dressed in matching suits, they embraced and kissed in front of a huge media scrum before signing their marriage certificates. | |
| They were followed by playwright LiYing Chien and her girlfriend, a cartoonist who goes by the pen name Cynical Chick. | They were followed by playwright LiYing Chien and her girlfriend, a cartoonist who goes by the pen name Cynical Chick. |
| Taiwan made history last week when its parliament became the first in Asia to legalise gay marriage, sparking jubilation among huge crowds of gay rights supporters on the streets of Taipei. | Taiwan made history last week when its parliament became the first in Asia to legalise gay marriage, sparking jubilation among huge crowds of gay rights supporters on the streets of Taipei. |
| But the issue has also caused deep divisions on an island that remains staunchly conservative, especially outside of the cities and among older generations who have vowed to punish President Tsai Ing-wen and the lawmakers who supported the law at January’s elections when Taiwanese will elect both a new president and a new parliament. | But the issue has also caused deep divisions on an island that remains staunchly conservative, especially outside of the cities and among older generations who have vowed to punish President Tsai Ing-wen and the lawmakers who supported the law at January’s elections when Taiwanese will elect both a new president and a new parliament. |
| Some 300 same-sex couples are expected to register on Friday, according to local authorities, around 150 in the capital Taipei which boasts a thriving and vocal gay community. | Some 300 same-sex couples are expected to register on Friday, according to local authorities, around 150 in the capital Taipei which boasts a thriving and vocal gay community. |
| Among those planning to tie the knot was social worker Huang Mei-yu, marrying her partner You Ya-ting. | Among those planning to tie the knot was social worker Huang Mei-yu, marrying her partner You Ya-ting. |
| “Now that same-sex marriage is legally recognised, I think my parents might finally feel that it’s real and stop trying to talk me into getting married [to a man],” she said. | “Now that same-sex marriage is legally recognised, I think my parents might finally feel that it’s real and stop trying to talk me into getting married [to a man],” she said. |
| For veteran gay rights activist Chi Chia-wei, Friday’s weddings are the culmination of a three-decade long fight trying to persuade successive governments to change the law. | For veteran gay rights activist Chi Chia-wei, Friday’s weddings are the culmination of a three-decade long fight trying to persuade successive governments to change the law. |
| It was Chi who eventually petitioned Taiwan’s Constitutional Court leading to a 2017 judgement that denying same-sex couples the right to marry was unconstitutional. | It was Chi who eventually petitioned Taiwan’s Constitutional Court leading to a 2017 judgement that denying same-sex couples the right to marry was unconstitutional. |
| Facing an imminent court deadline, parliament finally passed a bill last Friday allowing same-sex couples to form “exclusive permanent unions” and another clause that would let them apply for a “marriage registration” with government agencies. | Facing an imminent court deadline, parliament finally passed a bill last Friday allowing same-sex couples to form “exclusive permanent unions” and another clause that would let them apply for a “marriage registration” with government agencies. |
| “I feel very happy that same-sex couples can finally register and be listed as each other’s spouse. I am honoured to witness Friday’s marriage registrations,” he told AFP. | “I feel very happy that same-sex couples can finally register and be listed as each other’s spouse. I am honoured to witness Friday’s marriage registrations,” he told AFP. |
| In the last decade Taiwan has placed itself at the vanguard of gay rights in Asia but the issue has polarised society. | In the last decade Taiwan has placed itself at the vanguard of gay rights in Asia but the issue has polarised society. |
| #Taiwan legendary lgbt activist Chi Chia-wei signs first same-sex marriage certificate in Asia using pen gifted by President Tsai to mark the historic occasion pic.twitter.com/1NseU5y5RP | |
| Conservative and religious groups mobilised after the court ruling and comfortably won a series of referendums last November in which voters comprehensively rejected gay marriage. | Conservative and religious groups mobilised after the court ruling and comfortably won a series of referendums last November in which voters comprehensively rejected gay marriage. |
| Conservative lawmakers put forward rival bills that offered something closer to limited same-sex unions but those measures failed as parliament comfortably passed the gay marriage law. | Conservative lawmakers put forward rival bills that offered something closer to limited same-sex unions but those measures failed as parliament comfortably passed the gay marriage law. |
| However, the new law still has restrictions not faced by heterosexual couples. | However, the new law still has restrictions not faced by heterosexual couples. |
| Same-sex couples can currently only adopt their partners’ biological children and can only wed foreigners from countries where gay marriage is also recognised. | Same-sex couples can currently only adopt their partners’ biological children and can only wed foreigners from countries where gay marriage is also recognised. |
| Taiwan | Taiwan |
| Gay marriage | Gay marriage |
| Asia Pacific | Asia Pacific |
| news | news |
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