Bill to Legalise Same Sex Marriage in Taiwan Goes Ahead Despite Referendum No Vote

Taiwan may finally be getting same sex marriage after a long legal battle and referendum, reports Reuters.

In May of 2017, the small island country became the first in Asia to rule in favour of same-sex marriage. LGBT+ advocates had hoped the ruling would become law in Taiwan by the end of 2017, but the legislation faced several roadblocks. Religious groups successfully petitioned for a referendum on the issue, which was returned with a “no” vote in November of last year.

However, a same-sex marriage bill is being discussed by Taiwan’s cabinet which would force the parliament to legalise equal marriage.

Premier Su Tseng-chang, who is in charge of Taiwan’s cabinet, posted a message of support for the bill, saying that homosexuality was “natural, not a disease, not contagious—and it is not possible to make heterosexual people gay.

“I also want to say to fellow countrymen, whether you are heterosexual or gay: we are all in the same country, all together live on this land, all in the same heavens and the earth.”

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