Taiwan becomes the first place in Asia to recognise same-sex marriage
After months of anticipation, protests, and campaigns, Taiwan made history on Wednesday as the first country in Asia to recognise same-sex marriage.
The ruling panel, made of 14 judges, has ruled that it is unconstitutional to ban same-sex couples from getting married.
Taiwan's government has two years to implement the ruling, failing which same-sex marriages will be allowed to registered anyway.
People from all across the region took to Twitter in celebration.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
And outside Taipei's parliament, the celebrations continued.
Efforts to legalise gay marriage in Taiwan quickly gained momentum after President Tsai Ing-wen, who openly supported marriage equality, came to power last May.
Pro-gay marriage rallies took place in the many weeks leading up to the court ruling, with similar gatherings by those who were against same-sex unions.
The landmark case was brought forward by equal rights activist Chi Chia-wei, after the government rejected his and his long-time partner's application to get married in 2013.
He had told news agency AFP that he was "100% confident" that the ruling would go in his favour.
"Taiwan has become a sophisticated society. Our marriage system and regulations should also evolve with time," he said.
No other region in Asia has yet to legalise same-sex marriage.
Yvette is a Viral Content Reporter at Mashable Asia. She was previously reporting for BBC's Singapore bureau and Channel NewsAsia.
