Why Taiwan’s Gay Marriage Ruling Matters

Trevor Sutton and Brian Harding write about the importance of Taiwan's ruling in support of same-sex marriage.

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On May 24, the gay, lesbian, and bisexual (LGBT) citizens of Taiwan achieved a major victory when the self-governing island’s highest court, the Judicial Yuan, ruled that denying same-sex couples the right to marry violated their right to equality under the Taiwanese constitution. After decades of progress on LGBT issues in Western Europe and North and South America, one might conclude that the ruling was simply the latest domino to fall in the long march towards marriage equality.

But the ruling has a broader and deeper significance beyond changing global attitudes towards the LGBT community. It’s also a testament to the robust democracy that the Taiwanese have built in a region that is often lacking in rule of law and pluralistic values.

The above excerpt was originally published in The Diplomat. Click here to view the full article.

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