Taiwanese Gather For Same Sex Marriage Rally (Photo : Getty Images)
Same-sex marriage is one topic that is divisive. It divides a nation as what is happening in Taiwan now and families, similar to what happened to a Hong Kong father and son.
Global Times reported that protesters held rallies on Monday to express their disagreement with the proposed same-sex marriage legislation in Taiwan. The action was made after the first reading to the amendment draft to Taiwan’s Civil Code was held.
1st in Region
The reading moves Taiwan close to being the first region in Asia to recognize gay marriages. However, the legislation must undergo second and third readings for it to become a law, according to the Central News Agency.
Because of her support for the change, some of the protesters asked Taiwan President Tsai Ing-Wen to resign. Among the signs seen on the placards of protesters were “step down, Tsai Ing-wen” and “one man and one woman, a husband and a wife.”
LGBT Community Support
But if there are protesters, there are also supporters of the planned same-sex legislation. Ah Qiang, founder of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians And Gays China, an LGBT advocacy group, described the decision of the Legislative Yuan to pass the bill on first reading as a landmark in the progress of gay rights movements in Taiwan.
“As the gay rights movements have made slow progress in Asia, Taiwan stepped ahead and set a major milestone for the region,” Ah Qiang said. He noted the opposition of some organizations in Taiwan to legalization of gay unions, particularly the religious groups which fear same-sex marriages would destroy family values and compromise social stability in Taiwan.
According to surveys, 46 percent of Taiwan’s population of 23 million people support same-sex marriage. Another 45 percent is against it, ABC reported.
