Conservatives seek to limit freedom of homosexuals to wed in Nov. 24 votes
Nikkei Asian Review
Date: November 18, 2018
By: CHENG TING-FANG and LAULY LI, Nikkei staff writers
Upcoming votes cast a shadow on the hopes of homosexuals in Taiwan to marry their partners © Reuters
TAIPEI — Victoria Hsu plans to wed her partner as soon as same-sex marriage becomes legal in Taiwan next May.
“We have waited so long for this day and we have been through many ups and downs,” the 46-year-old human rights lawyer told the Nikkei Asian Review. “While heterosexual couples can get married in 30 minutes, we’ve had to fight for decades to formulate legal documents ourselves, to initiate lawsuits ourselves, to go through endless debates for equal rights ourselves.”
“It’s been a very very long journey,” said the prominent lesbian rights activist.
But Hsu’s plans may be dashed if conservative forces win out in a series of referendums on gay rights being held Nov. 24, and manage to limit the rights of gays wanting to wed. Five out of 10 plebiscites will be questions on issues such as education about homosexuality and regulations on same-sex marriage.
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