Taiwan’s First Same-Sex Marriage Held at Monastery

Taiwan held its first ever same-sex wedding at a monastery in Taovuan in hopes of becoming the first Asian country to legalize gay marriage.

The marriage was between Fish Huang and her partner You Ya-ting and was presided over by Shih Chao-hui, a female Buddhist master. The marriage is not legally binding and President Ma Ying-jeou has said public consensus was needed before the government can move ahead with legalization.

Chih Chun, a Buddhist nun who attended the ceremony, said that the couple should be respected and that “it makes no difference if couples are heterosexual or homosexual, as long as they are in love and happy.”

However, the couple’s parents were absent from the ceremony supporting various reports that claimed they disapproved.

A bill to legalize same-sex marriage in Taiwan had been pending since 2003. While Taiwan was the first nation in Asia to put forth this kind of bill it has made little headway in Taiwan’s legislature.

Gay rights groups drafted a new bill earlier this year and urged Ma to push for its legislation before his term ends in 2016.