In a landmark decision, Taiwan legalises same-sex marriage, making it the first place in Asia to do so.
The constitutional court ruled that legalising gay marriage would contribute to social stability and protect “human dignity”. The top judges stated that the Taiwan’s current Civil Code violated the constitution’s guarantees of freedom of marriage and equality.
According to The Telegraph, the court has given the parliament two years to implement the ruling. If the parliament fails to do so within the said time span then same-sex couples could register to marry regardless.
A statement from the court said, “The current provisions of the marriage chapter do not allow two persons of the same sex to create a permanent union of an intimate and exclusive nature for the committed purpose of managing a life together. This is obviously a gross legislative flaw. ”
For the thousands of LGBT rights campaigners, the decision was the culmination of 30 years of activism.
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