An LGBT rights supporter attends a mass wedding ceremony for same-sex couples in Taipei, Taiwan, on May 25. (Ritchie B Tongo/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

The Washington Post
Date: June 14, 2019
By: Editorial Board

THE UNITED STATES’ cultural shift on same-sex marriage has been so pronounced, it is easy to forget that the centuries of discrimination, decades of activism and years of litigation that led to the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling concluded not so long ago. It is also easy to take for granted that LGBTQ people have achieved a basic level of social acceptance, when there is still more work to be done in this country — and far more abroad. The greatest civil rights fight of this century is not over.

In Asia, the world’s most populous continent, life remains difficult for the LGBTQ community, as national leaders keep its members and other minorities officially marginalized out of concern about maintaining “social harmony” or “Asian values.” That is why Taiwan’s step to legalize same-sex marriage is so significant. Just as the island has for years put lie to the notion that democracy does not work in East Asian societies, it continues to show by example that liberal values and institutions are, in fact, universally applicable.

As is often the case in a liberal democracy, the process was tortuous but bent toward justice. Taiwan’s supreme court in 2017 ordered the country’s government to legalize same-sex marriage within two years. A vote subsequently indicated the idea did not yet command majority support. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party nevertheless ran and won on a platform that included approving same-sex marriage. Taiwan’s legislature considered three bills — two offered by conservatives and one, the most far-reaching, backed by the government. The government’s bill passed May 17, to the cheers of rainbow-flag-waving activists outside.    [FULL  STORY]