In an historic vote for Asia, Taiwan became the first country on the continent to legalise same sex marriage. With all the negative news going around at the moment it’s really fantastic to see a chink of light breach that cloud of darkness. The new law comes after lawmakers found the old law, which stated marriage was between a man and a woman to be unconstitutional.
It’s now three and half years since Ireland made it official and i’m sure the Taiwanese are feeling the same sense of pride that many an Irish person felt on that special day. It’s fantastic to see the world become more accommodating for people who love each other. Marriage is a very simple institution but one that is hugely important for a number of reasons.
Of course, there has been a relatively significant negative reaction to the news, as there was in Ireland. However, enacting something in law normalises it. I think even no voters here have generally become more accepting of Gay people and there is still more work to be done.Hopefully Taiwan is just another step in the right direction and we’ll see this trend continue in the same trajectory. For now though, we should thank Taiwan for making the world a more inclusive and welcoming place.