Supporters of marriage equality in Taiwan represent a glimmer of hope that ultimately, things can get better.
Not every country supports gay marriage, and sadly, some of them are strongly against it. It is indeed difficult to fathom that there are still places in this world that would sentence two people to death simply for being in love. As for Taiwan, it is indeed a free country, but gay marriage still isn’t legal. We are working on this, and hopefully it will soon be legalized.
To some people, marriage is just a piece of paper. To them, love is not requisite upon signing that paper and declaring to the world that they belong with each other. To others however, the formality of signing that piece of paper creates a sense of safety and security. On October 2013, the government drafted three pieces of legislation relating to the LGBT community, mostly regarding marriage equality and rights to adoption. Immediately after, objectors began rallying against it by gathering in front of Ketagalan Boulevard. Whilst there were over 300,000 people there that day expressing their discontent, there was also 500 who were supporters of marriage equality. Indeed, the number of supporters was far outweighed by the number of objectors, but they nonetheless represent a glimmer of hope that ultimately, things can get better.
Although same-sex marriage is not currently legal in Taiwan, people in the LGBT community still have weddings and would move in together. It is sometimes the case that their families aren’t overly supportive, but what’s important is that they are together, and they are happy. Essentially they live like straight couples, but unfortunately they don’t get the same privileges- they are not entitled to adoption. This is something that we are continually working towards.
When we travel, whether domestically or overseas, we wouldn’t want to receive differential treatment purely because we are lesbians. For me personally, I’ve never experienced discrimination when I check into a hotel room with my girlfriend. Maybe that’s because society have become more accepting, with information relating to the LGBT communities becoming more prevalent and easily accessible. Yet I’m sure there are still people who would look at you differently. Taiwan is a kind and beautiful country, and there are some LGBT friendly hotels. Most of them are in Taipei, our capital city. The most famous one is ‘Inhouse Hotel.’ It’s close to where LGBT people usually hang out, the Red House. Plus, every Friday night is LGBT night so people can go there to meet some new friends.
We all have to face the problems in our lives; some fight against it and some of us don’t care too much as long as we’re happy. For me, I appreciate anyone who advocates for LGBT rights. They make us feel more accepted by society; they fight for us, and together, build a friendly environment for us to live.
Thank you to all supporters of LGBT rights. We love you.