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Taiwan: Thousands march in campaign for same-sex marriage

Oct 26 2013
Written by Aaron Day

Thousands marched in Taipei on Saturday, holding rainbow flags, colourful placards and balloons, in support of a bill reviewing Taiwan’s stance on same-sex marriages.

The participants came far and wide, from Taiwan, several Asian countries, the United States, and Europe, for the 11th annual parade in Taipei’s business district.

Albert Yang, a spokesperson for the event, said: “This year’s theme is ‘The voice of sexual sufferer’, which was the main appeal for our very first parade. We want to show support for those who are still suffering or being discriminated against for their sexualities.”

The rally came as Taiwan’s Parliament on Friday decided to begin reviewing a Bill to amend the Civil Code in order to allow same-sex marriages.

The Bill, proposed by opposition Democratic Progressive Party lawmakers, is set to be debated by the Parliament’s judiciary committee.

In August, Taiwan authorities agreed not to revoke the marriage status of a local transgender couple, in a move activists called a “benchmark” ruling for opening the door to same-sex marriages.

Following that, in September, more than 1,200 activists in Taiwan took part in a mock “wedding banquet” in a bid to press for an amendment to the Civil Code.