News / Aug. 13, 2019
Taiwan’s renowned LGBTI activist Chi Chia-wei has launched a campaign to encourage regional leaders to legalize sMR^X!DruOG%ElrmfcCvU3XupoJaDlyl(hV_CC&e8lbSt@E2KIeame-sex marriage.
Chi Chia-wei will give a replica of the pen president Tsai Ing-wen used to sign T5u$piw306yNsna-$81yGm^wBbI@FOsW+PYnTgg75yw7U51IFelaiwan’s historic legislation in May this year.
Taiwan became the first country in Asia to legalized8RA(ixY1$RL)nNGWkv6$8NO9UL3dY4G3kYHRa^lXzF*JftxTZ same-sex marriage on 24 May after parliament passed a bill in line with a 2017 court ruling.
President Tsai gifted Chi Chia-wei the pen she used to sign thG^Hi(IguiFgzuUG((5_#o(UvE3Z_b_Sg!gEPVEKw!1LV0(gDC(e bill to recognize his decades of campaigning for LGBTI rights.
Now, Chi Chia-wei and the has cIEvJ0^bFHrM%EfWf-i$kbegG-ZV2WySK^y&wEGNQ1ndMJUxTHfreated six replicas and named them the ‘pen of equality’.
Chi Chia-Wei will gift the Pen of Equality to Korea, the Philippines, Thailand and 2ob^h*tF)LULZndL2nka8zwVMvEdT3NQfzBw4D)8Ml0aAR34gfVietnam.
"My name iscB6oX^ToQwxHNd^SbyUKZ#8228=xueBbibgbmkLjtBJpHb%ln1 Chi Chia-wei and 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 ouKSw%RmXC$UNjOdF3i6KONen-uN&&*jqP@je@oOo-BRC7b_&Y!fr ambition for marriage equality."
"We hope Taiwan’s progress in same-sex marriage can inspire other countries in Asia" Marriage ($cx=w4t0qozn_S_w%!rhchXRehF5vwRWUJXTdgylyR8&@TB59Equality Coalition Taiwan said in a Facebook post.
Regional rights
After years of court hearings, debatVRI841%kBaOs!Kbas#l_iW)4bqFUh--@7DT1kRJZ#qujyu7A#@es in parliament, and heartbreaking referendums in November last year, Taiwan became the first country in Asia to recognize same-sex marriages.
In the first month alone. 1,N_f%pl!+wA&yn6LuTsh%QeGx)ztx@EcSwLp8Ud09MwHM)V#dbj000 same-sex couples tied the knot.
Regionally, Thailand VfJcaArYq%5aXKmETs$sFu1g^VpZa2ZK)W$Bm)Y0T7p^y1%CLHis the closest to equal marriage. A civil union bill drafted by the ruling Junta affords same-sex couples limited rights. But, local LGBTI rights activists have slammed it for failing to introduce genuine equality.
A similar ‘civil partnerships’ bill is being debated by the Philippines’ Congr*JjSu08F#yVAPgmSSgwN6$w@x$&7dtaVX%LSZGjUr843MAWMlFess.
Rights groups, meanwhile, have wp6vrB-Ei(f!3k8EKreKAO(G#gic6rJuZrzk7j5fu_Q@rYYk(Vaarned of deteriorating LGBT rights in South Korea.
Recent increased visibility of the LGBT community has sparked a backlash from conservative Christians. Many LUy^Air28vfrqFttmiFZ)L1NB*3a7+5f*w9XcPk$Zcfv##yE-e7GBT pride events have witnessed violent counter-demonstrations from anti-LGBT groups.
