TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan's parliament legalized same-sex marriage on Friday in a landmark first for Asia as the government survived a last-minute attempt by conservatives to pass watered-down legislation. Tsai had previously spoken in favour of gay marriage but was later accused of dragging her feet after the court judgement, fearful of a voter backlash. Thousands of gay rights supporters gathered outside parliament for the vote, despite heavy downpours. Australia and New Zealand are the only places in the wider Asia-Pacific region to have passed gay marriage laws. Vietnam decriminalized gay marriage celebrations in 2015, but it stopped short of full legal recognition for same-sex unions.

Source: Philippine Star May 17, 2019 06:45 UTC