More than 10,000 protest in Taiwan in favour of equal marriage
Over 10,000 people have protested in favour of the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Taiwan, the same month thousands protested against it.
The protesters rallied at the country’s Parliament today, with a view to having same-sex marriage legalised quickly through legislation.
Activists hope that Taiwan can be the first Asian country to recognise marriages between two people of the same gender.
Currently, 67 out of the 113 members of the Legislative Yuan, Taiwan’s Parliament, have backed same-sex marriage publicly.
But there have been massive protests from the religious right in opposition to potential moves to legalise same-sex marriage.
Earlier in November, thousands dressed in white and waved signs that called on parliament to “stand forward for the next generation’s happiness”.
But they may be unsuccessful, as legislation proposed by Yu Mei-nu, who represents the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), has support and would legalise same-sex marriage.
It would, for example, change the words used to describe those entering a marriage from ‘husband and wife’ to ‘both sides’.
The legislation would also ban discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender.
Tseng Chao-yuan of the Awakening Foundation said: “Human rights should not be compromised and revising the Civil Code for equal application to all marriages is actually the most modest demand.
Parliamentarians “hoped to compromise in the face of conservative opposition by enacting a special law which acknowledge same-sex marriages, but with a lower status than unions in the Civil Code,” Tseng added.
“The Civil Code guarantees equally rights for all the people and we cannot accept a ‘separate but unequal’ status for same-sex marriages.”
