Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/12/31
By: Christie Chen and Sophia Yeh

Taipei, Dec. 31 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said on Saturday that the debate over same-sex marriage in Taiwan has moved on from the “conflict” phase to the “dialogue” phase, in the same way as other countries when dealing with divisive issues.

When faced with such issues, citizens often go through a period of conflict before reverting to discussion and finally choosing a path that is more acceptable to everyone, Tsai said at a press conference held on New Year’s Eve, when asked what she expects to see in the next legislative session on the issue of same-sex marriage.

“We are in the same situation right now and we are handling this step by step. In the previous stage we saw conflict, but now we are turning to dialogue,” Tsai said.

A draft bill that will legalize same-sex marriage and allow married gay couples to adopt children passed its initial screening at the legislative Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee on Dec. 26 amid fierce protest. As the Legislature is now in recess and the new session begins in February, further discussion on the bill is not expected to take place until April or May next year.   [FULL  STORY]