Fish Huang and You Ya-ting on Saturday
exchanged vows in what is being described as Taiwan's first gay
Buddhist wedding.
The women, both 30, wore white bridal
gowns and exchanged prayer beads instead of traditional rings as up
to 300 Buddhists chanted sutras seeking blessings for the couple.
The ceremony, which took place at a
Buddhist monastery in north Taiwan's Taoyuan country, was performed
by Master Shih Chao-hui, who is also a professor at Buddhist Hsuang
Chuang University.
Shih earlier told the AFP that she was
participating in the ceremony “because I hope my step can embody
the spirit of Buddhism spreading compassion throughout the world”
and added that Buddhist teachings “do not discriminate against gays
and lesbians and do not consider human desires as a sin although they
do call for restraint.”
“We decided to get married last
year,” said
Huang. “After being together for six years, we feel we need to
make a life-long commitment to each other.”
Parents of neither bride attended the
ceremony.
“We hope with the master's support,
the wedding will change many people's perspective even though it is
not legally binding,” Huang
added. “We hope the government can legalize same-sex marriage
soon.”
President Ma Ying-jeou has said he does
not believe Taiwan is ready to legalize gay marriage.