On May 17th, Taiwan became the first Asian country to legalize same sex marriage. Thousands of same sex couples in the country were celebrating, many already registering for their marriage.
Two years ago, three bills were proposed for options on the issue, and Parliament was given until May 24th to make a decision. They made the decision to pass the bill which gives homosexual couples the most freedoms of the three options.
Not only does this bill allow same sex couples to marry, but it also gives rights for them to adopt children, backed by the progressive democratic party.
“Congratulations!! Everyone deserves happiness!” Jolin Tsai, a famous Taiwanese singer and actress, said on Facebook, accompanied by a picture of a rainbow.
Many countries in Asia are generally more conservative and traditional. In Brunei, a very different law was passed that stated that same sex activities can be punishable by death. However, Taiwan’s new law is giving hope to same sex couples across the country.
Many citizens of Taiwan also hope that this will start a chain reaction, and other countries will follow in their steps for more progressive laws that will give people of all sexualities the same freedoms.
Taiwan has also been known as a leader in Asia when it comes to LGBT rights for a while now, also holding “Pride”, an annual LGBT pride parade, since 2003.
This bill will be officially put into effect after Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen puts it into law. There is still some way to go and topics that are left unanswered, such as equal education between genders and marriages between Taiwan nationals and foreigners. But this bill is a very progressive step towards more freedom and equality for the citizens in Taiwan and gives hope to many across the continent.