Gay marriage supporters to hold mass 'wedding' in downtown Taipei

Want China Times, CNA 2013-09-06

Chi-chi, center, says she wants the right to form a recognized
partnership with her girlfriend of six years. (Photo/CNA)

The road in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei will be the site of a special wedding banquet on Saturday, when some 30 same-sex couples are set to symbolically tie the knot in a gesture to push for the legalization of same-sex marriage in Taiwan.

The Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights said Thursday that over a thousand people are expected to attend the event, which is being held as a traditional outdoor banquet called a "pan-toh" in the Taiwanese language.

Pan-toh events are typically held to mark weddings or religious celebrations. They are clamorous events based around rows of food-laden round tables, usually held on sectioned off streets — this time, though, the street is none other than Ketagalan Boulevard, the wide road that leads to the entrance to the president's office.

The alliance hopes that this banquet will drive up support for an amendment that would legalize gay marriage, civil partnerships and adoption of children by gay couples. The legislation is set to be introduced later this month.

"I'm always the one giving the red envelopes," said a gay man calling himself George, referring to the cash gifts customarily given to newlyweds in Taiwan.

"Now I want to be the one sending out wedding invitations," he said in anticipation of the ceremony, where he hopes to receive the blessings of friends and family members when he "marries" his partner of seven years, Peter.

A poll conducted by the organization shows that 53% of respondents support legal revisions to allow same-sex marriages. A petition started last year has received 80,000 signatures, the alliance said.

Other participants in the Saturday event called for similar changes, including a legal framework for civil partnerships.

A lesbian woman calling herself Chi-chi, who wants to raise children with her girlfriend, said she doesn't want either parent to be considered a non-relative when taking a child to see a doctor.

Another participant said she hopes to widen the definition of family members to include her close-knit group of friends. "Family" should mean the people who care for and understand each other the most, she said.

Taiwan is considered one of the more liberal countries in Asia in terms of societal acceptance of homosexuality, and Taipei hosts one of the region's largest gay pride parades each year.