Taiwan unveils same-sex marriage bill

Taiwan's ruling party unveiled its latest attempt to create Asia's first gay marriage law on Thursday (February 21), a Bill offering same sex-couples "permanent unions" as well as limited adoption rights, despite stiff opposition from conservatives.

Voters opposed marriage equality in a series of referendums late last year, defining marriage as between a man and a woman and asking for a special law to be enacted for same-sex unions.

The draft law unveiled by the cabinet on Thursday would give same-sex couples similar legal protections for marriage as heterosexuals, but marriage in civil law would remain defined as between a man and woman.

Premier Su Tseng-chang said the bill respected the referendum results, although activists had said a separate law for gay marriage was discriminatory.

“Controversies are expected about the proposal, but I really hope our homosexual friends can wait a bit longer,” Su said in a statement.

“This might fall short of expectations, but after all, it’s a start,” he said.

The referendum came after Taiwan's Constitutional Court voted to legalize gay marriage in 2017 - the first place in Asia to do so - arguing that denying same-sex couples marriage rights was unconstitutional.

The Bill published on Thursday by the Cabinet is the Tsai administration's attempt to square that circle - a new law that meets the court's demands while trying to respect the referendum result by not altering the Civil Code which currently defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

Gay couples will be allowed to adopt the biological children of their partner, while both parties are financially responsible for each other and are entitled to inheritance rights.

The law is set to take effect on May 24 but needs to pass Parliament, where the DPP holds a majority.

Taiwan is seen as one of the most progressive societies in Asia when it comes to gay rights, and it stages the biggest gay pride parade in Asia annually.

If the Bill is passed, it would be Asia's first gay marriage law. In December, Thailand's junta rulers proposed a similar Bill but have yet to take it to Parliament in the kingdom that is currently in the midst of an election campaign.