Taiwan is poised to become the first country in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage.
An estimated 250,000 people surrounded Taiwan’s Presidential Office in capital city Taipei on Saturday (December 10) in support of equal marriage, Asia Times reports.
A remarkable day with 250,000 people supporting marriage equality in Taiwan! #lgbt #taiwan #taipei #marriageequality #婚姻平权 pic.twitter.com/FUiVqgNJQY
— PinkDotSG (@PinkDotSG) December 11, 2016
Taiwan is poised to become the first country in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage. While the country’s President has been a vocal supporter of equal marriage, the nations push to legalize same-sex unions was galvanised by the death of a gay professor in October, who committed suicide after being excluded from making key healthcare decisions at the end of his partner’s life.
In a statement released on Saturday, President Tsai Ing-wen said, “Same-sex couples also have the right to marriage,” and called for “more discussion but less confrontation” on the issue.
She added: “all voices should be heard and given the chance to seek support in the Legislature.”
#Taiwan
Mass rally demands marriage equality
250 000 out in the streets in front of the Presidential Office#LGBT
?https://t.co/zDp5kvrbcT pic.twitter.com/FddDYXtSDS— jean rossignol (@jeanrossignol) December 10, 2016
Saturday’s rally took the form of a concert, and saw public figures, legislators, activists and LGBT+ people and their allies, coincided with international Human Rights Day.
Support gay marriage in #Taiwan! #firstinasia Join us this Saturday #HumanRightsDay #lovewins #LGBT pic.twitter.com/p2S5GJE2K1
— Magnolia La Manga (@empressoftaiwan) December 8, 2016
According to reports, the protests came a week after 70,000 people took to the streets of Taipei to oppose marriage equality.
Taiwan’s same-sex marriage bill passed its first reading in parliament in November, but after vocal backlash, a second reading was postponed. A committee will now review the bill on December 26, at which point it will have to pass second and third readings to become law.
