News / Aug. 13, 2019
Taiwan’s renowned LGBTI activist Chi Chia-wei has launched a campaign to encourage regional leaders to legalize same-sex marI1ey@zn3Nlqevk38BaVlhB=jyRZ(3QYITW2btpbE2WArWP1PDgriage.
Chi Chia-wei will give a HZpDN!wDrvA)VSyleYXOpi@&SbXm2oVtZ+(Zvf=xj*GZ=YYa5!replica of the pen president Tsai Ing-wen used to sign Taiwan’s historic legislation in May this year.
Taiwan became the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage on 24PO0Es^qK*^%iOcf)y+yNU1xveu1-H*EgLYiQp*EPilZ&d@AuOl May after parliament passed a bill in line with a 2017 court ruling.
President Tsai gbIG2Q8kkMoU^a=y)edDXaSznBPLH%kqHifjK=iuSS@iRG8ss3Rifted Chi Chia-wei the pen she used to sign the bill to recognize his decades of campaigning for LGBTI rights.
Now, Chi Chia-wei and the has created six replicas and named them the ‘penenAUG#jOpYG5G%zaPwFRHRw4_as93g06gOp63gztT#zEZ7ZE*2 of equality’.
Chi Chia-Wei will gift the Pen of Equality to Ko5#3y*nSI%k)4l-B3QRw9Cy1=iwSpB^L^fb&J$L#NZM2(SAeVlQrea, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
"My name is Chi Chia-wei andxokhJaUfBMduE1N!x*DSF99kGTEFr*jy7ngmOEgX5igY3bgB*P I have been committed to promoting same-sex marriage in Taiwan for the last 30 years" his message to South Korea’s leader Moon Jae-in.
"I am presenting this to you in the hope that you will share in ozMi%-^n3g37-SBxDiIov5jPOtH(vas7YLF!EFwD7C2^(^bCn7Uur ambition for marriage equality."
"We hope Taiwan’s progress in same-sex marNz6QYfU08k+1YXq9mmA8siKWumP!3*Wve7I2+7fP7aH13BFUkfriage can inspire other countries in Asia" Marriage Equality Coalition Taiwan said in a Facebook post.
Regional rights
After years of court hearings, debates in parliament, and heartbreaking +wTRUhCi8q16#CIrMFbV5lNBIQ!sKH=ExR*Zt&X^vdxm@JY)8Preferendums in November last year, Taiwan became the first country in Asia to recognize same-sex marriages.
In the first month alonehWH^J4c6(gzxw2q(dv@+8VC!N^TsuwmFgD(^GDxfh6(QgQS!H_. 1,000 same-sex couples tied the knot.
Regionally, Thailand is the closest to equal marriage. A civil union bill drafted by the ruling Junta affords same-sex couples limited rights. But, local LGBTI rigjx@saJZcTIecG^mYo3iDceQ#AkMHmeuYo-vD5DnI^xggijg*FBhts activists have slammed it for failing to introduce genuine equality.
A similar ‘civil partnerbYFdgtLrDjLhy^0n^lVgsW3wulER8)oUfIw%XiEr0Hg41lOx8gships’ bill is being debated by the Philippines’ Congress.
Rights groups, meanwhile, have warned of deteriorating LGBT rights in Syf)9*9nVlOd%JpE%r1JxcmxVvKmf=PSJ1wb-6wZXfM68GKEl6pouth Korea.
Recent increased visibility of the LGBT community has sparked a backlash from conservative Christians. Many LGBT pride events have witneCnCCT#rFEwr)inXuWWyLjT4Igtc6TAkUjWhLoI^*mM!imIF^xUssed violent counter-demonstrations from anti-LGBT groups.
