Thousands of demonstrators on Saturday
called on the Taiwan government to allow gay and lesbian couples to
marry.
According to Reuters,
the protesters waved rainbow flags as they marched through the
streets of Taipei to the headquarters of Taiwan's two political
parties. The march comes less than a month after the Supreme Court
declared that gay couples have a constitutional right to marry
throughout the United States.
“Taiwan society has reached the point
of acceptance of gay marriage,” said Rafael Tsai, who joined the
march. “It's a shame our politicians don't seem to be on the same
level as the people.”
A bill that would legalize such unions
in Taiwan – the first Asian nation to seriously consider the
reform – has stalled in parliament. January elections are expected
to usher in a pro-marriage equality majority.
A majority of Taiwanese favor marriage
equality, according to recent polls.