Taiwan: Tens of thousands march in Taipei Pride for equal marriage
Tens of thousands took to the streets of Taipei on Saturday, with many campaigning for the legalisation of same-sex marriage.
Supporters in the 12th annual “Walk in Queers’ Shoes” parade waved placards reading “equal marriage rights” and “support gay marriage.”
Organiser Albert Yang said: “Conservative forces have been lobbying hard against the bill, and accused us of demanding privileges, when we are asking for equal rights,”
An activist who attended the event, graduate student Wang Chun-ling, said: “Equal marriage is a basic human right and I hope the conservative and religious groups will be more tolerant and less narrow-minded.”
Cindy Su, a 33-year-old activist who tied the knot with her partner in Canada in June, said: “I hope the parliament will pass the bill soon because we want to have children and we need the legal status and protection.
“Even though we are married in Canada, legally we are strangers in Taiwan.”
The Bill, proposed by DPP lawmakers, has been stalled by the Parliament’s judiciary committee since October last year.
Last month, six same-sex couples in Taiwan had their marriages rejected after attempting to register en masse.
