Hundreds of couples in Taiwan got married to celebrate the first day of legal same-sex marriage.
Taiwan became the first country in Asia to legalize gay marriage. As the new law came into effect, hundreds of couples decided to tie the knot.
The implementation came after many years of campaigning for equal rights in the country.
The Guardian reported that Shane Lin and Marc Yuan were the first ones to sign their marriage certificate, with Chi Chia-Wei, the legendary LGBTQ rights campaigner, in the ceremony.
The pair had been waiting for more than ten years for the legalization of same-sex marriage, and there was no time to waste as soon as the law came into effect.
Lin said: “It has been a remarkable achievement for Taiwan’s same-sex marriage movement, and I feel lucky to have the blessings from my friends and family.
“I still remember how I tried to hide the rainbow flag after I attended the first gay pride parade in Taipei over a decade ago. But today, I am able to openly tell the world through these cameras that I’m gay and I’m getting married. I felt really fortunate.”
Antonia Chen and Xue Chen also planned for their marriage for over a decade. They’ve been waiting for the change for years and finally tied the knot on the first day of legalization.
Speaking about their marriage, Chen said: “Even though the entire registration only takes three minutes, I can’t stop thinking about what we went through over the last decade, and how long it has been since Taiwan’s LGBTQ activists first started campaigning for marriage equality.
“When I first met Antonia, I knew I would marry her one day, but that was only a wish. Today, my wish has finally come true and today’s registration will allow us to certify our right to love who we love until the end of our lives.”
Chia-Wei also told The Guardian that it was overwhelming to see a lot of couples exercising their rights.
Congratulations to all newlywed couples!
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