Rights groups and gay couples called on Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen Tuesday to cement the island’s reputation as a bastion of LGBT rights by recognising international same-sex marriages following her landslide re-election victory.
Taiwan is at the vanguard of the burgeoning gay rights movement in Asia and became the first place in the region to legalise gay marriages last year after a bruising political fight.
Nearly 3,000 couples have since wed as of December but rights advocates say the law still contains restrictions not faced by heterosexual couples.
Same-sex couples can only wed foreigners from countries where gay marriage is also recognised and can only adopt their partners’ biological children.
“I hope President Tsai can see the difficulties international couples face,” said Lai Kai-li, whose partner is from conservative Malaysia.
“We feel like our futures are in limbo right now and we can’t really make any plans,” she added.
A 26-year-old Hong Konger -- who asked to be identified only as Yan -- said she longed for Tsai’s Democratic Progressive Party to push further on gay rights. “Hong Kong doesn’t have freedom and human rights now and I think it would never recognise same-sex marriage,” she told reporters.
Hong Kong’s judges have repeatedly ruled in favour of granting more rights to same sex couples but the city’s conservative pro-Beijing leadership has resisted legislative changes.