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November 12, 2016

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Taiwan set to legalize same-sex marriage

SU Shan and her partner are raising 5-month-old twins together, but only one of the women is their legal parent. That could soon change as Taiwan appears to legalize same-sex marriage.

“Now, if something happens to the child, the other partner is nothing but a stranger,” said Su, a 35-year-old software engineer in Taipei. By contrast, either partner in a legally recognized marriage could make legal, medical and educational decisions, she said.

Taiwan lawmakers are currently working on three bills in support of marriage equality, one of which is already listed for review and could be passed within months.

About 80 percent of people in Taiwan between ages 20 and 29 support same-sex marriage, said Tseng Yen-jung, spokeswoman for the group Taiwan LGBT Family Rights Advocacy, citing local university studies. Taiwan’s United Daily News found in a survey taken four years ago that 55 percent of the public supported same-sex marriage, with 37 percent opposed.

Still, same-sex marriage had to overcome traditional perceptions of gender roles and the strong pressure on children to marry and have children. The island also lacks many openly gay and lesbian celebrities to lead the way; the writer and television talk show host Kevin Tsai is among the few exceptions.

For Log Chen, a Tarot card fortune teller in Taipei, legalized marriage would mean she and her partner of three years could make future plans with more confidence.

“In case something happens to my partner, I will not be left with nothing,” Chen, 32, said.

While practical issues such as sharing assets and medical benefits are motivating factors, simple love and respect are also a strong impetus, said Jay Lin, founder and director of the Taiwan International Queer Film Festival.

“There are lots of people who have been loving and committed to each other for decades and they’d like to put a ring around their finger,” said the father of 4-month-old twin boys, who said he would consider marrying his partner.

But as legalization grows closer, opposition to same-sex marriage is hardening among a small minority of fundamentalist churches and conservative politicians.




 

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