The most progressive country in Asia for LGBTQ+ rights takes another stride toward equality by officially recognizing same-sex marriages between Taiwanese and Chinese nationals. The move will allow these couples’ unions to be registered under the same regulations as opposite-sex couples. Hundreds of couples living in Taiwan will be affected by this news. Couples will, however, only be able to register their marriages in Taiwan after getting married outside of the country’s borders and outside of China, according to a press release from the Ministry of the Interior.
Taiwanese LGBTQ+ groups have celebrated the win calling the change “a long-awaited, difficult but navigable path home.” However, these groups also recognized that the fact that these couples must be married outside their countries still makes marriage more difficult to access for LGBTQ+ couples than for straight couples.
Taiwan became the first Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage back in 2019 and since then only a few Asian countries have followed suit, with China still prohibiting LGBTQ+ marriage and unions. The island nation, which is home to 23 million people, continues to push forward laws embracing LGBTQ+ rights. Last year, Taiwan passed a law granting full adoption rights to same-sex couples.
