Gay rights group: Foreigners whose own country bans same-sex marriage should be accepted
Taiwan News
Date: 2019/10/01
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
A couple was refused registration for a same-sex marriage in Taipei Tuesday October 1.
A couple was refused registration for a same-sex marriage in Taipei Tuesday October 1. (By Central News Agency)
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – When the Legislative Yuan approved same-sex marriage in a historic vote last May, activists drew attention Tuesday (Oct. 1) to the fact that many marriages between a Taiwanese and a foreign partner are still not allowed.
The Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights (TAPCPR) accompanied a couple to register at a government office in Taipei City Tuesday, but as they were turned away, the group said it would launch a legal process to appeal the rejection.
According to the legal amendments approved earlier this year, a foreign citizen can only marry a Taiwanese national of the same sex if his own country also allows gay marriage.
Any ban on a same-sex marriage between a Taiwanese and a foreign citizen violated constitutional equal rights, activists said. The added that following four months of study, they had decided to take the issue to court, according to CNA. [FULL STORY]