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Taiwan holds first gay marriages in historic day for Asia 'I feel lucky': Taiwan holds first gay marriages in historic day for Asia
(about 1 hour 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. After decades of campaigning and waiting, Taiwan has welcomed hundreds of same-sex couples as they exercised their new legal rights to tie the knot.
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. Dozens of reporters and photographers filled a registry office in Taipei on Friday waiting to capture the moment when the self-ruled island became the first country in Asia to legalise gay marriage.
Marc Yuan and Shane Lin were the first to sign their marriage certificate under the gaze of the legendary Taiwanese LGBTQ rights campaigner, Chi Chia-wei.
'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. The couple, who had waited 12 years for the law to change, said they felt fortunate to be able to celebrate their union.
They were followed by playwright LiYing Chien and her girlfriend, a cartoonist who goes by the pen name Cynical Chick. “It has been a remarkable achievement for Taiwan’s same-sex marriage movement, and I feel lucky to have the blessings from my friends and family,” said Lin.
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. “I still remember how I tried to hide the rainbow flag after I attended the first gay pride parade in Taipei over a decade ago. But today, I am able to openly tell the world through these cameras that I’m gay and I’m getting married. I felt really fortunate.”
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. Xue Chen and Antonia Chen organised their wedding in 2009, but had to endure a long wait to put the plans into action.
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. “Even though the entire registration only takes three minutes, I can’t stop thinking about what we went through over the last decade, and how long it has been since Taiwan’s LGBTQ activists first started campaigning for marriage equality,” said Chen.
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.
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.
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.
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#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. “When I first met Antonia, I knew I would marry her one day, but that was only a wish. Today, my wish has finally come true and today’s registration will allow us to certify our right to love who we love until the end of our lives.”
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. Chi Chia-wei, dressed in his signature red coat decorated with rainbow bears, told the Guardian that while same-sex marriage should have happened 10 to 20 years ago, it was still great to witness so many same-sex couples being able to exercise their rights.
However, the new law still has restrictions not faced by heterosexual couples. The veteran of countless rights rally across Taiwan, where he would wave his rainbow flag, Chi said: “The fight is not over as we still need to extend this right to transnational couples who are not able to legally register because one of them may come from a country that doesn’t recognize same-sex marriage.”
Same-sex couples can currently only adopt their partners’ biological children and can only wed foreigners from countries where gay marriage is also recognised. The restriction on certain foreigners is one of several still remaining on Taiwan’s gay community despite the legislation being passed last week. Another is that same-sex couples can only adopt their partners’ biological children. Additionally, opponents have vowed to punish Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen and legislators who supported the bill in the national election next January.
Despite the challenges, Jennifer Lu said Friday’s celebrations would not be written off so easily. “Today will still go down in history as the day when human rights and equality are upheld in Taiwan.”
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.
Some 300 same-sex couples were expected to register on Friday, according to local authorities, around 150 in the capital Taipei which boasts a thriving and vocal gay community.
TaiwanTaiwan
Gay marriageGay marriage
Asia PacificAsia Pacific
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