'Happily ever after' elus Taiwan, a year after Asia's first gay marriag | Rters

Contents:

• TAIWAN GAY MARRIAGE: PARLIAMENT LEGALIS SAME-SEX UNNS
• GAY UPL PLAN MASS WEDDGS AFTER TAIWAN LEGALIZ UNNS
• 'HAPPILY EVER AFTER' ELUS TAIWAN, A YEAR AFTER ASIA'S FIRST GAY MARRIAG

TAIWAN GAY MARRIAGE: PARLIAMENT LEGALIS SAME-SEX UNNS

It took 33 years om the time Chi Chia-wei me out as gay 1986 to when he uld legally get married. One was to be ed to fight AIDS, the other to improve the human rights of gays, ” says Chi durg an terview a ffee shop.

GAY UPL PLAN MASS WEDDGS AFTER TAIWAN LEGALIZ UNNS

In 1993, the first mp gay muny was created at Natnal Taiwan Universy lled “男同性戀問題研究社” (Gay Issue Rearch Society), and 1995 a group dited to the discsn of same-sex marriage lled “同性戀人權促進小組” (LGBT Rights Promotn Task Force) was tablished.

When the Constutnal Court issued s lg 2017, gay rights supporters gathered the street hugged each other and cried joy. “After the nstutnal terpretatn, gays and lbians fally felt ee of fear, that they uld eely walk the streets feelg that the untry accepted them, ” she says.

Based on figur om Lu’s group, the week followg the referendums, there were at least 10 s of gays or lbians mtg suici. Miao Po-ya, who was elected as the first openly lbian Taipei Cy uncilor on the same day of the referendums, was subject at one pot to harsh cricism om wh LGBT circl for iatg a referendum on protectg same-sex maral rights the Civil Co as a way to unter the anti-gay group’s tactics.

'HAPPILY EVER AFTER' ELUS TAIWAN, A YEAR AFTER ASIA'S FIRST GAY MARRIAG

In the ntext of the early stag of the stggle the 1990s or the Martial Law perd (that end 1987) perd when homosexualy uld not even be talked about, today’s achievements are tly remarkable, though Chi feels attus still need to evolve. “In 1974, the Amerin Psychiatric Associatn removed homosexualy om a list of mental illns, but tak two generatns to change people’s mdsets, ” Chi says.

In 2004, half the people accepted that there was nothg wrong wh homosexualy. By the time 2034 rolls around, if you ask people on the streets what they thk about gay issu, people will simply say you’re wastg their time! gay.

Lawmakers Taiwan have approved a bill legalizg same-sex marriage, a landmark cisn that mak the self-led island the first place Asia to pass gay marriage legislatn. Although the island has a large gay muny and s annual gay pri para is the biggt Asia, the issue of marriage equaly has bterly divid Taiwane society. In recent months nservative groups have mpaigned agast same-sex marriage reform, phg for a law that would see gay marriag refed as somethg closer to same-sex unns.

Wu Tzu-an, a 33-year-old gay artist om Taipei, was among the crowds outsi the parliament celebratg Friday.

In 2015, veteran gay rights activist Chi Chia-wei – who has spent 30 years fightg for marriage equaly – filed a requt to the Constutnal Court askg for a lg on an article the island’s civil statg that marriage is between a man and a woman. Taiwan’s gay marriage opponents seized the opportuny to put forward a referendum askg voters whether they agreed wh same-sex marriage. In maland Cha, where homosexualy is legal but prejudic and discrimatn agast LGBT people persist unr Communist Party le, an thor of same-sex erotic fictn was sent to jail for 10 years November.

In April, the ler of the ty, oil-rich kgdom of Bnei announced he would troduce ath by stong for those nvicted of gay sex.

In Indonia, clg secularism has led to epeng discrimatn agast the untry’s gay, lbian and transgenr muni. Last year, two men acced of beg gay received 87 lash for gay sex the untry’s nservative Aceh provce.

More than two dozen untri around the world allow gay marriage, acrdg to Pew Rearch. Taiwan has bee the first untry Asia to legalise gay marriage after a vote on FridayThe vote has e almost two years after the island's Constutnal Court led that the existg law - scribg marriage as the unn between a man and a woman - was unlawful. So, wh huge anticipatn, hundreds of gay rights supporters gathered the ra outsi the parliament buildg the pal, Taipei, to awa the landmark is historic!

Taiwan's acceptance of gay and lbian relatnships began the 1990s when lears today's lg Democratic Progrsive Party champned the e to help Taiwan stand out Asia as an open society. However, although the island has a large gay muny and s annual gay pri para is the biggt Asia, Taiwane society has been hugely divid by the issue of marriage equaly.

In a ntroversial referendum November last year, 67% of voters rejected same-sex today is a historic day - for the people of Taiwan and LGBTQ supporters around the world - cintally, fallg on the Internatnal Day Agast Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. Taiwan has legalised same-sex marriage, the first of any Asian state, wh the passage of legislatn givg gay upl the right to marry. Lawmakers on Friday fortably passed part of a bill that would allow gay upl to enter to “exclive permanent unns” and apply for marriage registratn wh ernment ’s print, Tsai Ing-wen, who mpaigned on a platform of marriage equaly, tweeted after the vote: “We took a big step towards te equaly, and ma Taiwan a better untry.

”Thoands of gay rights supporters gathered heavy ra outsi parliament the pal, Taipei, to watch a live broadst of the proceedgs. As the adle approached, three bills were troduced for votg on on Friday, the Internatnal Day Agast Homophobia, Transphobia and other versns backed by nservativ avoid the word marriage and scribed same-sex partnerships as a “same-sex faial relatnship” or “same-sex unn” ernment’s bill, the most progrsive of the three, is the only one to offer some adoptn rights to same-sex upl, allowg spo to adopt the blogil children of their partner.

Lawmakers were still batg adoptn rights on Su, one of thoands of gay marriage supporters gathered outsi parliament, told the crowd: “We are jt a group of people who want to live well on this land and who love each other. The partment of civil affairs said that, as of Thursday, 151 upl had ma appotments to register on that, whose annual gay pri para is the largt the regn, has long been a hub for LGBT activism.

Activists said they would ntue to ph for more rights, such as regnn of transnatnal same-sex marriag, where one partner is om a untry that do not regnise gay marriage. HONG KONG -- Lawmakers Taiwan voted favor of a bill legalizg same-marriage Friday, makg the self-erng island the first Asian untry to do of thoands of monstrators, gay rights supporters and dissentg protters packed the streets outsi the parliament buildg Taipei the ray morng hours, awag the ccial 's nstutnal urt led 2017 that same-sex upl had the right to marry and gave the ernment a two-year adle to amend the nstutn wh a new law to guarantee momentum suffered a setback this past November when 67% of Taiwane voters rejected the notn that Taiwan’s civil “should be ed guarantee the rights of same-sex upl to get married, ” reflectg the nservative tradnal valu still entrenched Taiwan spe s reputatn for beg progrsive on gay rights. ”Thoands of gay rights supporters gathered outsi the parliament buildg celebrate after Taiwan's parliament voted to legalize same-sex marriage on May 17, 2019 Taipei, Taiwan.