Two LGBT rights groups are calling on the government to allow all cross-national same-sex couples to marry in Taiwan.
Taiwan became the first Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage in 2019. However, under current rules, foreign nationals may only register for a same-sex marriage in Taiwan if same-sex marriage is also legal in their home country. This requirement has left many Taiwanese citizens unable to marry their foreign partners.
On Tuesday, the Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights and the Taiwan Transnational Marriage Equality Alliance held a press conference calling on the government to remove this limitation.
At the press conference, Victoria Hsu of the Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights spoke about the strain the current rules put on trans-national same-sex couples. She said strains can include not being able to live together in Taiwan, which can require separation and the economic strain of frequent travel to visit one another.
Hsu said that Taiwanese law should apply equally to all same-sex couples seeking to marry.
The alliance’s secretary-general, Chien Chih-chieh, says that plans to raise the issue with the government include a lawsuit, a call for a government interpretation of the law, lobbying the Cabinet, Legislature, and Judicial Yuan, and holding a concert.