Taipei, Taiwan (Photo by Richie Chan/Bigstock)
A week before the fourth anniversary of Taiwan granting the legal right to same-sex couples to marry on May 24, 2019, the Parliament of the island republic passed an amendment allowing same-sex couples to jointly adopt children.
The rights were an amendment to the same-sex marriage bill that passed its third reading in the Legislative Yuan without objection, AFP/France 24 reported.
The amendment establishes that the process for joint adoption is now procedurally identical for same-sex couples as it is for heterosexual couples under Taiwan’s civil code.
Hung Sun-han, a Democratic Progressive Party legislator, joyfully announced the news on Twitter.
Earlier this year, the government of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen lifted restrictions on transnational same-sex marriage, allowing the island’s LGBTQ residents to marry partners from jurisdictions such as Japan or Hong Kong that have yet to legalize same-sex marriages.
Same-sex marriages between Taiwanese residents and those from mainland China are still prohibited. Taiwan remains the only jurisdiction in Asia to have legalized same-sex marriage.
“After four years of hard work, today the Parliament finally passed the (bill for) adoption without blood relationship by same-sex couples,” the advocacy group Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights said in a statement.
The amendment comes after a family court in southern Kaohsiung City last year ruled in favour of a married gay man seeking to share parenthood of his husband’s adoptive child — the first verdict of its kind, AFP/France 24 reported.
Fan Yun, another Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker, draped in a rainbow flag, spoke to local media.
“The amendment not only ensures the protection of children’s rights but also meets their best interest,” said Fan. “In the future, spouses and parents, regardless of gender and sexual orientation, can have full legal protection.”
The National LGBT Media Association represents 13 legacy publications in major markets across the country with a collective readership of more than 400K in print and more than 1 million + online. Learn more here: NationalLGBTMediaAssociation.com
