TAIPEI CITY, TAIWAN — (02-14-22) — LGBT activists in Taiwan protested in the rain on Valentine’s Day on Monday against the island’s same-sex marriage law which critics say falls short of full recognition for many international same-sex couples.
Under the law, Taiwanese citizens can legally wed foreigners but only from countries that also recognize same-sex marriage.
Taiwan’s judicial system have been open to considering challenges to the law on a case-by-case basis, but that requires the presence of both partners which critics say is an impossible task since LGBT foreign tourists are banned from entering the country during the pandemic.
“It’s not me who loves the wrong person – it’s the government that fails to correct its mistake,” said Andrew Chuang, who has been separated from his Japanese partner for more than two years.
Chuang was among the dozens of LGBT activists and LGBT couples who gathered in front of Taiwan’s seat of executive power to protest against the rules.
According to South China Morning Post, “They also tied hundreds of yellow ribbons around the compound’s metal gates, a reference to the 1973 hit song Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree, in which lovers yearn to be reunited. Each ribbon had the names and nationalities of separated couples, along with the number of days they have spent apart.”
Foreign arrivals in Taiwan are currently limited to a few categories, including diplomats, some international students, migrant workers from select countries.
As of today, only three couples have won their challenges against the same-sex marriage law in court. They were allowed to get married despite the foreign partner being from a country that does not recognise same-sex marriage.
The LGBT community is thriving in Taiwan as the island has recorded more than 7,000 same-sex marriages since the law was passed in 2019.
Article by: Paul Goldberg, Staff Writer
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