Taiwan's Cabinet Proposes Bill to Allow Same-Sex Marriage
Taiwan's Cabinet Proposes Bill to Allow Same-Sex Marriage
(Bloomberg) -- Taiwan’s cabinet proposed a measure that will allow same-sex couples to wed, defying a referendum that rejected making the island the first place in Asia to legalize gay marriage.
The draft law would entitle same-sex couples to adopt children and give them inheritance rights, a government statement said Thursday. Premier Su Tseng-chang called on lawmakers to approve the bill by May 24.
The proposal comes as Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen works to rally public support before she comes up for reelection in 2020. Her pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party suffered resounding losses in local elections to the Beijing-friendly Kuomintang in November, putting her second term in doubt.
Her caution on domestic issues including same-sex marriage was seen as a major cause of the party’s defeat.
Voters’ Message
A referendum calling for same-sex marriage to be enshrined in the island’s Civil Code -- which defines marriage as between a man and a woman -- failed to get sufficient support in a November vote. The result went against a May 2017 Constitutional Court ruling instructing legislators to legalize same sex marriage within two years.
Opposition to same-sex marriage gained momentum after the court ruling, culminating in the referendum organized by Christian groups that represent about 5 percent of Taiwan’s population. Its result wasn’t binding, but it created an issue for lawmakers who need to consider public opinion in the runup to next year’s elections.
To contact the reporters on this story: David Tweed in Hong Kong at dtweed@bloomberg.net;Adela Lin in Taipei at alin95@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Karen Leigh, Colin Keatinge
©2019 Bloomberg L.P.