On May 24, 2017, a court in Taipei struck down Taiwan’s ban on same-sex marriage. This ruling, the result of years of campaigning by LGBT-rights activists in Taiwan combined with recent political support, opens the doors for Taiwan to become the first place in Asia to recognize same-sex unions.
The Taiwanese legislature now has two years in which to pass a law permitting same-sex marriage, but in the meantime the effects of today’s ruling will resonate across Taiwan and Asia.
George Yin, a former Fairbank Center Graduate Student Associate and newly appointed Research Fellow in government at Dartmouth College, talks to the “Harvard on China” podcast about how this same-sex marriage ruling will influence Taiwan’s political scene, as well as the island’s international reputation.
The “Harvard on China” podcast is hosted by James Evans at Harvard’s Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies. Listen to more podcasts at the Fairbank Center’s SoundCloud page.