Taiwan makes history in Asia as first parliament to legalize same-sex marriage

Taiwan has made history in Asia, becoming the first parliament in the region to legalize same-sex marriage.In 2017, the self-governing island was given a deadline of two years to pass legislation in favor of marriage equality. The bill passed on Friday will allow full legal marriage rights for same-sex couples and also offers limited adoption rights.The bill was put forward by lawmakers from the majority Democratic Progressive Party and will now go to President Tsai Ing-wen before it is officially passed into law.Taiwan has made history in Asia, becoming the first parliament in the region to legalize same-sex marriage. Taiwan's government on Friday passed the bill — one of three different bills debated — by an overwhelming margin of 66-27. The bill was put forward by lawmakers from the majority Democratic Progressive Party and will now go to President Tsai Ing-wen before it is officially passed into law. The bill will allow full legal marriage rights for same-sex couples and also offers limited adoption rights. Taiwan was already headed towards policy change for same-sex marriage — the island's Constitutional Court previously gave a deadline of two years to pass legislation. According to Taiwan News, tens of thousands of marriage equality supporters gathered outside the self-governing territory's parliament as lawmakers cast their vote. Opponents of the measure gathered in smaller numbers in a nearby tent, Associated Press. While China claims Taiwan as its territory, Taiwan considers itself an independant democracy which champions human rights issues. Friday's vote symbolized a further pull away from China, which holds much more conservative views concerning LGBT rights.