This is great news, as opposed to Indonesia that canes Gay citizens.
Taiwan's High Court Rules Same-Sex Marriage Is Legal, In A First For Asia
Taiwanese laws that prohibit same-sex couples from marrying violate their personal freedom and equal protection, the island's Constitutional Court ruled Wednesday. The justices called sexual orientation an "immutable characteristic that is resistant to change."
"The judges have today said yes to marriage equality," said Amnesty International's Lisa Tassi, who directs campaigns in East Asia. "This is a huge step forward for LGBTI rights in Taiwan and will resonate across Asia."
Taiwan's president has asked the Ministry of Justice to come up with a legal framework for complying with the decision.
The court's ruling gives Taiwan's government two years to change its marriage laws. If that deadline passes without legislative action, same-sex couples will be allowed to register for marriage and obtain "the status of a legally recognized couple."
The long-awaited ruling was greeted by cheers at an outdoor rally organized by the Taiwan LGBT Family Rights Advocacy, which livestreamed the announcement on a large video screen as well as on Facebook.
Allowing single people to have the autonomy to decide whether to marry and whom to marry, the Taiwanese court said in a news release, "is vital to the sound development of personality and safeguarding of human dignity, and therefore is a fundamental right."
The court also said that when same-sex couples create "a permanent union of intimate and exclusive nature for the committed purpose of managing a life together," they're not affecting the rights of people in a heterosexual marriage.