Taiwan Supports Same-Sex Marriage: Say, "I do."

Taiwan is supporting same sex marriage and will become the first Asian country to support same sex marriage. By 2019, Taiwan will become the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. Same-sex marriage is currently not legal in Taiwan, although it has been the subject of public discussion since the early 2000s. Currently, some jurisdictions, including the seven largest cities and nine other counties, covering 94% of the country's population, allow same-sex couples to register as partners, though the rights afforded by such registrations are less than marriage. Bills to legalise same-sex marriage are currently pending in the Legislative Yuan. If any of these bills were to pass, Taiwan would become the first country in Asia to allow same-sex marriage. On 24 May 2017, the Constitutional Court ruled that current marriage laws are unconstitutional and that same-sex couples should have the right to marry. The court has given the Legislative Yuan two years to adequately amend Taiwanese marriage laws. According to the court ruling, if amendments are not passed within two years, same-sex marriages will automatically become legal. As a result of the ruling, the Legislative Yuan can simply amend the existing marriage laws to include same-sex couples, thereby granting them the same rights enjoyed by married opposite-sex couples, or it could elect to pass a new law recognising same-sex marriages or civil partnerships but giving said couples only some of the rights attributed to marriage. In response to the ruling, Cabinet spokesman Hsu Kuo-yung said the Executive Yuan would draft a proposal for revising the laws for the Legislative Yuan to consider, though had not yet decided whether to amend the Civil Code to include same-sex couples in the definition of marriage or create a separate and distinct law specifically addressing same-sex marriages. Further to that, Presidential Office Secretary-General Joseph Wu responded favourably to the ruling and said it was binding on all Taiwanese nationals and all levels of government. As of 2 July 2017, same-sex couples can legally register their partnerships in 18 of Taiwan's cities and counties that account for 94 percent of the country's population. However, the rights afforded in these partnerships are very limited; there are as many as 498 exclusive rights related to marriage that include property rights, social welfare and medical care. As of April 2016, more than 500 same-sex couples have registered their partnerships in the country. 272 same-sex couples had registered their partnerships in Taipei by the end of November 2016. According to Victoria Hsu, president of the Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights, almost 2,000 same-sex couples had registered in the whole country by December 2016. Taiwan Pride is the annual gay pride parade in Taiwan (officially the "Republic of China"). The parade was first held in 2003. Although joined by groups from all over the country, the primary location has always been the capital city of Taipei. The most recent parade, held in October 2015, attracted more than 78,000 participants, making it the largest gay pride event in East Asia, and the second largest in Asia behind the parade in Tel-Aviv, Israel.