Taiwan court rules in favour of same-sex marriage, first in Asia

Record ID: 876803

  • Title: Taiwan court rules in favour of same-sex marriage, first in Asia
  • Date: 24th May 2017
  • Summary: ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** CAMERAMEN FILMING CONSTITUTIONAL COURT NEWS CONFERENCE SHOWING ON SCREEN SAME-SEX MARRIAGE SUPPORTERS CHEERING WOMAN CRYING, SMILING VARIOUS OF SAME-SEX COUPLE EMBRACING, ONE OF THEM CRYING (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) 23-YEAR-OLD SAME-SEX MARRIAGE SUPPORTER, WU KAI-KAI, SAYING: "Today we didn't only come out for the cause of marriage, we also hope that every group of people, all genders, can be treated the same way and that discrimination will no longer exist within this society." VARIOUS OF RAINBOW FLAG FLYING (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) SAME-SEX MARRIAGE SUPPORTER, SHANN LU-VISSER, SAYING: "My South-African wife and I got married in 2015 in South-Africa and we always wanted to move back to Taiwan. Now after this interpretation of the constitution, I hope that the Legislative Yuan can establish a law (legalising same-sex marriage) as soon as possible, so that I can let my wife move to Taiwan." SAME-SEX MARRIAGE SUPPORTERS CHEERING
  • Embargoed: 7th June 2017 11:49
  • Keywords: legalising Taiwan same-sex marriage Taiwan marriage equality same-sex marriage
  • Location: TAIPEI, TAIWAN
  • City: TAIPEI, TAIWAN
  • Country: Taiwan
  • Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,Arts / Culture / Entertainment,Judicial Process/Court Cases/Court Decisions
  • Reuters ID: LVA0036I772O5
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Taiwan's constitutional court declared on Wednesday (May 24) 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 "in violation of both the people's freedom of marriage ... and the people's right to equality", and it gave two years for legal amendments to allow same-sex marriage.
    Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights activists had harboured high hopes their years of campaigning for same-sex marriage would win the court's backing, as the ruling Democratic Progressive Party that swept national elections in the self-ruled island last year supported the change.
    Taiwan, which China regards as a renegade province, has a reputation as a beacon of liberalism in the region and is home to Asia's biggest annual gay pride parade that showcases the vibrancy of its lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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