Reuters<\/strong><\/p>\n

Taiwan\u2019s constitutional court declared today that same-sex couples have the right to legally marry, the first such ruling in Asia sparking celebration by activists who have been campaigning for the right for years. The court, known as the Judicial Yuan, said current marriage laws were \u201cin violation of both the people\u2019s freedom of marriage\u00a0\u2026 and the people\u2019s right to equality\u201d, and it gave two years for legal amendments to allow same-sex marriage.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf relevant laws are not amended or enacted within the said two years, two persons of the same sex who intend to create the said permanent union shall be allowed to have their marriage registration effectuated,\u201d the court said.
\nLesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights activists had harboured high hopes their years of campaigning for same-sex marriage would win the court\u2019s backing.<\/p>\n

The ruling Democratic Progressive Party that swept national elections in the self-ruled island last year supported the change. Hundreds of supporters of same-sex marriage gathered in the street next to the island\u2019s parliament to celebrate the decision, holding colourful umbrellas to ward off a drizzle.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis ruling has made me very happy,\u201d said Chi Chia-wei, a veteran gay rights activist who had petitioned the court to take up the issue. The ruling clearing the way for same-sex marriage is the first in Asia, where socially conservative attitudes largely hold sway.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A lawyer said the ruling made clear that same-sex couples had the same marriage rights as opposite-sex couples. \u201cThis is a clear victory for equal rights in marriage and it is also a victory for all the people,\u201d said Victoria Hsu, the lead lawyer supporting Chi\u2019s case.<\/p>\n

Taiwan has a reputation as a beacon of liberalism in the region.
\n\u201cSexual orientation is an immutable characteristic that is resistant to change,\u201d the court said in its ruling. \u201cFurthermore, the freedom of marriage for two persons of the same sex, once legally recognised, will constitute the collective basis, together with opposite-sex marriage, for a stable society,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n

Taiwan, which China regards as a renegade province, has a celebrated annual gay pride parade that showcases the vibrancy of its lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Reuters Taiwan\u2019s constitutional court declared today that same-sex couples have […]","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":318,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,2],"tags":[210,258,256,257],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-foreign-policy","category-neighbourhood","tag-human-rights","tag-judicial-yuan","tag-lgbtq","tag-taiwan"],"yoast_head":"\n