Taiwan legalizes same-sex marriage, limited adoption rights

On Friday, Taiwan's legislature became the first in Asia to approve legal same-sex marriage. The country's Constitutional Court ruled in May 2017 that prohibiting same-sex marriage violated Taiwan's constitution, and lawmakers had until May 24 to fix the laws accordingly. The legislature considered three bills, and they approved the most progressive one, creating a new class of marriage that confers full legal rights in areas including taxes, insurance, and child custody. It also gives same-sex couples limited adoption rights.

After the 2017 court ruling, Taiwan held several referendums that showed a majority of Taiwanese voters wanted to keep the definition of marriage as between one man and one woman. The new law therefore leaves the old civil law regarding marriage untouched and creates a new law for same-sex couples. Conservative lawmakers had wanted to allow "same-sex unions" or "same-sex family relationships."

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.