Taiwan Holds First Gay Marriages In Asia

Taiwan made history on Friday with Asia's first legal gay weddings as same-sex couples tied the knot in jubilant and emotional scenes, the culmination of a three-decade fight for equality.

The weddings, which came a week after lawmakers took the unprecedented decision to legalise gay marriage despite staunch conservative opposition, places Taiwan at the vanguard of the burgeoning gay rights movement in Asia.

Some dozen couples were among the first to arrive at a government office in downtown Taipei to legally register their relationships as marriages.

They embraced and kissed in front of the gathered press before proudly holding aloft their wedding certificates as well as new identity cards listing each other as spouses.

Among those tying the knot were social worker Huang Mei-yu and her partner You Ya-ting.

They held a religious blessing conducted by a progressive Buddhist master in 2012 but they longed for the same legal rights granted heterosexuals.

"It's belated, but I'm still happy we can officially get married in this lifetime," Huang said after signing her marriage certificate, clutching a bouquet and beaming.

Legal recognition of their love, she said, was a crucial step and might help others accept their relationship.

"Now that same-sex marriage is legally recognised, I think my parents might finally feel that it's real and stop trying to talk me into getting married [to a man]," she said.

For veteran gay rights activist Chi Chia-wei – dressed in an eye-catching red suit with a rainbow headband – Friday's registrations were the culmination of a three-decade fight trying to persuade successive governments to change the law.

It was Chi who eventually petitioned Taiwan's Constitutional Court leading to a 2017 judgement that denying same-sex couples the right to marry was unconstitutional.

Taiwan made history last week when it became the first place to legalise gay marriage in Asia, home to 60 percent of the world's population.

But the issue has also caused deep divisions on an island that remains staunchly conservative, especially outside of the cities and among the older generation.

Some 300 same-sex couples are expected to register on Friday, according to local authorities, around 150 in the capital Taipei which boasts a thriving and vocal gay community.

The city hall will co-host an outdoor wedding party near the famous Taipei 101 skyscraper, with local and foreign dignitaries expected to attend. (AFP)