Taiwan takes important step toward queer equality
If you take a closer look at the history of Taiwan, you will quickly notice that the country has often played apioneering role, especially with regard to gay rights.
For example, same-sex couples are allowed to marry here. Many other Asian countries (still?) have a different opinion in this regard.
One "construction site" that prevailed for a long time in Taiwan, however, was the regulations surrounding the adoption rights of queer couples. Exactly this could now change a lot. With a very special court decision, an example has now been set that could encourage many rainbow families(and those who want to become one).
Then and now - what could change?
Even though same-sex couples in Taiwan have been allowed to marry for a little over two years, they are still disadvantaged to this day with regard to the adoption of children. For example, anyone who was married to a man(and at the same time the biological father of a child) could not make their "rainbow happiness" "perfect" by adopting the offspring from their partner.
At the end of 2021, however, a ruling was also made that could bring about a turnaround. Here, a court ruled that it was legitimate for a child previously adopted by a man to now also be officially adopted by his partner. The only fly in the ointment is that this is not(yet?) a general ruling. It currently only refers to a specific case and cannot automatically be applied to all queers in the country.
The next step now would surely be to give all same-sex couples this option.
Will all queer couples in Taiwan soon be allowed to adopt without restrictions?
This is a question that is still difficult to answer - at least at the current time.
What is certain, however, is that the couple, among others, who received a favorable verdict in court, have resolved to continue advocating for the rights of the community.
One of the two has already spoken out on Facebook. He let slip that the child they adopted might not be the last. If the laws are not changed, the problem would then be that the judgment would once again depend on the discretion of the competent judge. And this is exactly what they do not want to settle for. Understandably. After all, adoption would then degenerate into a kind of "gamble".
Currently, it is still completely unclear how the legal situation in Taiwan will develop in the future. This may be due to the fact that it has not yet been officially determined whether queer couples are allowed to adopt children or not. However, it is the "small judgments" that show why it is always important to continue to fight for the rights of the community - even (and especially) when there is no explicit legal basis for a particular issue.
Taiwan and its Prides
Prides are also celebrated regularly in Taiwan. The CSDs in the country started in 2003, and today the event is one of the largest of its kind on the entire continent. Every last Saturday in October, queers from different regions gather in Taiwan and celebrate the scene. At the same time, as in other countries, they draw attention to their rights.
Since many queers in Asia are still suppressed to this day, many people come to Taiwan, including from Japan and Hong Kong and South Korea. The hub is the so-called "Gay Village" from Ketagalan Blvd.
Did you know that the Strobachplatz in Vienna will be renamed?