In historic first for Asia, Taiwan legalizes same-sex marriage

Chicago, IL - Lawmakers in Taiwan on Friday approved a bill legalizing marriage for gay and lesbian couples.

Passage makes Taiwan the first nation in Asia with same-sex marriage.

Roughly two years ago, Taiwan's Constitutional Court ruled that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry and gave parliament two years to amend or enact new marriage laws.

The legislation goes into effect on May 24.

Conservatives campaigned against passage. Last year, a majority (67%) of voters rejected same-sex marriage.

Lawmakers considered three bills. Two favored by conservatives would extend civil unions to same-sex couples, rather than marriage.

While lawmakers approved a bill that includes the word "marriage," it does not extend adoption rights to same-sex couples.

In a tweet, Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen called passage "a big step towards true equality" that makes "Taiwan a better country."