Lawmakers in Taiwan on Friday approved
a bill legalizing marriage for gay and lesbian couples.
Passage makes Taiwan the first nation
in Asia with same-sex marriage.
Roughly two years ago, Taiwan's
Constitutional Court ruled that same-sex couples have a
constitutional right to marry and gave parliament two years to amend
or enact new marriage laws.
The legislation goes into effect on May
24.
Conservatives campaigned against
passage. Last year, a
majority (67%) of voters rejected same-sex marriage.
Lawmakers considered three bills. Two
favored by conservatives would extend civil unions to same-sex
couples, rather than marriage.
While lawmakers approved a bill that
includes the word “marriage,” it does not extend adoption rights
to same-sex couples.
In a tweet, Taiwan's President Tsai
Ing-wen called passage “a big step towards true equality” that
makes “Taiwan a better country.”