Chi Chia-wei gifts 'pen of equality' to encourage same-sex marriage

Taiwan’s renowned LGBTI activist Chi Chia-wei has launched a campaign to encourage regional leaders to legaluiX3XYGwR@54#S&)L_9ydG%Zde_r!g2W*pOmIw#4B^CZYYpTuaize same-sex marriage.

Chi Chia-wei will give a replica of the pen president Tsai Ing-wen used to sign Taiwan’s historic legislationAQa!_*I2T!VzRqxWFXa8YL*(AtoE7fl($tSGZoc7U_SCscQe@i in May this year.

Taiwan became the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage on 24 May after parliament passed a bill in line with a 2017 courth2IIKM_c6gesIxkmT&AtnILAgT*P-7W)#tBIL6gGgldpa-)AUm ruling.

P0CvBVT&v@LjSoz-o7wMpHWs^TB%2$Zk1wkN=3UyjLfq9XmU+Ixresident Tsai gifted 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 nbql*er**=Tx(kK6K@^Ep(8A4^dTt%OEp9tAzbYMX3ejQ5u6Sc)amed them the ‘pen of equality’.

Chi Chia-Wei will gift the Pen of Equality tvKeh4ekKvZ7EJniZabVzThHWXFL5DQhtJbIN$Cfq0z*Ir*d7n9o Korea, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

"My name is Chi Chia-wei and I have been%Ty0&T@ml$$EN!Jy6=IZkI_CZKQDn-0W=edz=TPWxqDfjovc2y 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 RE52FNH!G8YHG#4Qj3g+hXy0Ar@oe!bIHor=(^-WU&yZAlyifbin our ambition for marriage equality."

"We hope Taiwan’s progress in same-sex marriage can inspire other countries in Asia" Marriage Equality Coalition Taiwan said in a Facebook pVlfNcfWzAJ8$me8R3K6(1rvz(6fYBWSYAfvw*+y&T1Yo00xyp%ost.

Regional rights

After years of court hearings, debates in parliament, and heartbreaking referendums in November last year, Taiwan became the first country in Asia to recognize same-sexm+C%#R08!a@4RMl(D)nbw(Uy7Zeu&mM+NK59hm7NQo@Qyk)K26 marriages.

In the first month aloWN+(KxS1NigimavZ+BJZydWp+3-SFtOgW&bo7B-!Fq*cKY(%m*ne. 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 l$Xic*4e1R6*@Hh(xLa6VSAGOQGyOYJvQRXZm_D5Vxi-vsIJmdJimited rights. But, local LGBTI rights activists have slammed it for failing to introduce genuine equality.

A similar ‘civil partners#ot5AqSr)-gNui^3ECYTrL1PxA-@G_+IZrj+9853+0ntrg9maPhips’ bill is being debated by the Philippines’ Congress.

Rights groups, meanwhile, have warned of deteriorating LGBT rights in SPUbbpvb$cZzz=W8QwNVRtka=2C6qh-zOM3ynd!5-2=MT2SSantouth Korea. 

Recent increased visibility of the LGBT community has sparked a backlash from conservative Christians. Many 5%WWWuN$(-&hAD)id2txe1Jr58M7N9RU3)z@1qZ28F-I!jzU&FLGBT pride events have witnessed violent counter-demonstrations from anti-LGBT groups.