More than 1,200 supporters of gay marriage gathered Saturday in
the Taiwan capital of Taipei to celebrate a “wedding banquet.”
The event to raise awareness for marriage equality was held in
front of the Presidential Office Building. The Taiwan Alliance to
Promote Civil Partnership Rights (TAPCPR) organized the banquet to
drum up support for a marriage bill it plans on submitting to
parliament later this month.
“We believe it is time to change the law,” Victoria Hsu,
president of TAPCPR, told Gay
Star News.
“Our survey shows that in the past 10 years, 29 percent has
changed from 'opposition' to 'support' of same sex marriage. This
proves that people's opinions concerning same-sex marriage are
transformable and that their opinions of the Taiwanese people on this
have undergone great transformation,” she added.
The group's survey found that 53 percent of the public supports
marriage equality, while 37 percent remain opposed. Among people in
their twenties, 78 percent support gay nuptials, according to the
TAPCPR poll. Opposition was greatest among Catholics and Protestants
– which account for only 6 percent of Taiwan's population – with
average support among those groups at 25 percent.
Shanghaiist
reported that the China Post wrote a strong editorial in
support of allowing gay couples to marry in the territory.
“[Love] and marriage should not be restricted to heterosexual
couples,” the
English language paper wrote, “and marriage licenses should
grant the same rights to all. There is no excuse for saying gay
marriage is not necessary because Taiwan's society is 'not ready.'”