Non-topics
In Taiwan, 250,000 March in Support of Marriage Equality for Human Rights Day
Many hope the island will be the first in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage.
December 12 2016 11:34 AM EST
May 26 2023 4:09 PM EST
Subscribe To
OUT MAGAZINE
OUT MAGAZINE
Taiwan celebrated International Human Rights Day on Saturday with a strong showing of support for legalizing marriage equality.
About 250,000 marched in Taipei and rallied around performances and concerts in support of an amendment legalizing same-sex marriage.
A group of protesters did gather, but they didn’t necessarily advocate against same-sex marriage—just that the issue should be decided by referendum instead of a legislative amendment.
Related: 5 Countries Where LGBT Rights Came Under Attack This Year
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen supports marriage equality, as do many political parties. The marriage amendment has a chance to be considered during the next legislative session later this month.
However, despite hopes that Taiwan may make history in Asia by legalizing same-sex marriage, a recent phone call from U.S. president-elect Donald Trump to Taiwan may overshadow internal issues in the coming weeks. The phone call flouted decades of foreign policy procedure and set a tense tone between the U.S. and China before Trump has even taken office.
Watch a news report about the rally below.
