Taiwan recorded more than 3,500 same-sex marriages as of the end of March, nearly one year after legislation legalizing same-sex marriage took effect, the Ministry of the Interior said on Friday.
A total of 3,553 same-sex couples had registered their marriages as of the end of March, with New Taipei City recording the largest number of same-sex unions among the nation’s six special municipalities at 722, ministry data showed.
The Legislative Yuan on May 22 last year passed the Enforcement Act of Judicial Yuan Constitutional Interpretation No. 748 (司法院釋字第748號解釋施行法), which went into effect on May 24, making Taiwan the first nation in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
The law allows two people of the same gender, aged at least 18, to register their marriage if they have at least two witnesses sign the registration document.
Of the 3,553 same-sex marriages, 1,122 were male couples and 2,431 were female.
However, 188 divorces of same-sex couples had also been registered as of the end of March: 114 female couples and 74 male, the ministry said.
After New Taipei City, Taipei was second with 582 same-sex unions, followed by Kaohsiung with 473, Taichung with 423, Taoyuan with 347 and Tainan with 234, it said.
Outside of the six special municipalities, Pingtung County took first place with 110 same-sex unions, followed by Hsinchu City with 85, and Hsinchu County and Hualien County with 84 each, the data showed.
The three outlying counties were at the bottom of the rankings, with Lienchiang County having only one same-sex couple, while Penghu and Kinmen had 10 each, the data showed.
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