Taiwan becomes the first Asian country to legalise same-sex marriage
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On 17 May, Taiwan made history by becoming the first country in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage following a landmark vote by the parliament. Thousands of gay rights supporters awaiting the ruling outside the parliament shouted with joy and embraced when the result was announced. President Tsai lauded the outcome, stating “On May 17th, 2019 in Taiwan, love won. We took a big step towards true equality, and made Taiwan a better country.” The legalisation of same-sex marriage in Taiwan also coincided with the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia 2019.
The UK government congratulated Taiwan on the historic development, with UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt tweeting that it is “another huge step forward for LGBT equality in Asia.” The news was published across all major UK news outlets, including the BBC, Guardian, Financial Times, Telegraph and Times.