- Title: TAIWAN-POLITICS/LGBT RALLY Hundreds march for marriage equality bill in Taiwan
- Date: 11th July 2015
- Summary: TAIPEI, TAIWAN (JULY 11, 2015) (REUTERS) SAME-SEX MARRIAGE SUPPORTERS GATHERING IN FRONT OF KUOMINTANG PARTY HEADQUARTERS MAN DRAPING RAINBOW FLAG OVER HIS BACK MAN USING SMARTPHONE WOMAN HOLDING RAINBOW FLAG RALLY ORGANIZER CHANTING FROM TRUCK VARIOUS OF DEMONSTRATORS THROWING WATER BALLOONS TOWARDS ENTRANCE OF KUOMINTANG VARIOUS OF DEMONSTRATORS GATHERING IN STREET BANNE
- Embargoed: 26th July 2015 13:00
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- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVAAG6TEEWDSYRFE75IBQJNKJKFN
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Hundreds of people staged a rally in Taiwan's capital on Saturday (July 11), demanding lawmakers pass a marriage equality bill currently held up in committee.
The protesters, including political figures and LGBT activists, carried banners and rainbow flags through the streets of Taipei as they pressed for the government to legalize same-sex marriage.
Demonstrators gathered in front of the headquarters of the island's two main political parties, Kuomintang Party and Democratic Progressive Party, as well as its parliament.
One woman said that the main reason she was attending the rally was because of the United States' recent decision to legalise gay marriage across America.
"Taiwan needs to do the same, but there are lots of problems that are stopping it, mainly from the two political parties," 28-year-old Showfan Huang said.
Showfan and her girlfriend Iris Yu said that they hoped the two parties would publicly voice their stance on gay marriage.
"It's really hard for us to know when this bill will be approved. We really need the bill, but neither political party is willing to express their stance. They just say that they will further discuss it, but there is consensus yet. So today we are coming out to let them know that they should legalize the bill before reaching a consensus," she added.
Another demonstrator said society would be a better place if everyone was free to date whomever they wanted.
"If I am able to ignore my family's beliefs and society's beliefs in order to find someone to love, it's a big step towards great improvement for everyone and this society," said Chang Liang-teng, a 29-year-old homosexual.
Taiwan, where Chinese nationalist forces fled after being defeated by the Communists in 1949, is a self-governing nation that is claimed by China. A former dictatorship, it underwent a peaceful transition to democracy in the 1980s and has developed one of the most thriving civil societies in Asia.
Mainland China maintains a largely indifferent attitude towards LGBT issues. Many cities boast thriving - yet underground - gay scenes.
Legal protection is virtually non-existent in China, and although gay marriage has been proposed in Beijing's rubber-stamp parliament, it has never been placed on the agenda.
Last month, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the U.S. Constitution must provide same-sex couples the right to marry, handing a historic triumph to the American gay rights movement.
The court ruled 5-4 that the Constitution's guarantees of due process and equal protection under the law mean that states cannot ban same-sex marriages. With the landmark ruling, gay marriage becomes legal in all 50 states. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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