Gay marriage supporters march on Kuomintang HQ in Taiwan

[yuiyoshida]

Hundreds of LGBT supporters in Taiwan took to the streets in protest last week, urging the Taiwanese government to legalise same-sex marriage. The protesters gathered outside the headquarters of the Kuomintang (KMT) and hurled rainbow-coloured water balloons at the building.

According to reports, the gay marriage bill in Taiwan passed its first reading in parliament back in October 2013, but since then progress has slowed to a halt. In keeping with the parliamentary system in Taiwan, if the bill fails to pass its third reading before February next year, the whole legislation process will have to start again from scratch.

Despite Taiwan's claim as one of Asia's most liberal societies, public opinion on legalising same-sex marriage remains divided, with a majority of citizens opposing the idea. In 2013, a cable new channel TVBS in Taiwan carried out a poll of 1,377 people, asking the public to vote on the issue of same-sex union. However, the percentage in support and opposition were relatively close, with 45 percent of voters opposing and 40 percent supporting same-sex marriage.

http://shanghaiist.com/2015/07/14/gay_marriage_supporters_march_on_kuomintang_hq.php

[shenmue]

1. Yay, happy people