Two international same-sex couples yesterday registered their marriages in Taipei, after the government last month recognized same-sex unions in which the foreign partner is from a jurisdiction that does not allow gay marriage, except China.
The couples registered their marriages in Taipei’s Xinyi District (信義) Household Registration Office.
Malaysian Chang Ssu-hsiang (張斯翔) proposed to his partner, Taiwanese Kang Ting-wei (康庭瑋), six years ago, but they could not register their marriage even after same-sex marriage was legalized in Taiwan.
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Photo: Wu Po-hsuan, Taipei Times
Chang said that he fought for his right in the hope of showing the public and the judiciary that international same-sex couples “are living people, not excluded data.”
The purpose of getting married is to take care of each other and be together legally in a place that is familiar to the couple, he said.
The other couple — Jonathan from Taiwan and Hank from Malaysia — said “marriage is the fruit of love,” adding that “love has no gender or nationality.”
The Legislative Yuan in May 2019 passed the Enforcement Act of Judicial Yuan Constitutional Interpretation No. 748 (司法院釋字第748號解釋施行法), legalizing same-sex marriage.
However, transnational couples in which one of the partners is from a country that does not allow gay marriage could still not get married in Taiwan. The Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights helped the couples file administrative appeals and administrative litigations, which have resulted in several favorable verdicts.
The Ministry of the Interior on Jan. 19 notified local governments that all international same-sex marriages, except those involving a partner from China, should be recognized following then-premier Su Tseng-chang’s (蘇貞昌) instruction.
Alliance attorney Victoria Hsu (許秀雯) yesterday congratulated the couples who were able to get married after fighting for their rights for a long time.
“It is not easy to change society,” she said, adding that a more equal Taiwan is possible as long as people believe in change and correct values.
Transnational same-sex couples involving a partner from one of the 18 countries listed by the government have to attend an interview before their marriages can be registered, alliance member Chien Chih-chieh (簡至潔) said.
At least 100 Taiwanese-Chinese same-sex couples are waiting to register their marriages, but the issue, which concerns national security, remains to be resolved, she said.
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