Taiwan Votes Against Marriage Equality
Voters in Taiwan have rejected the legalization of marriage equality in a series of ballot referenda put to a vote this weekend.
The issue of equal marriage was the subject of three separate referenda, put forward by rival political groups, reports BBC. (Leading up to this weekend's vote, LGBTQ advocates fought against putting the decision in the hands of the public, but "pro-family" conservatives from Taiwan's Christian population persevered.)
Voters were asked if the current legal definition of marriage—a union between a man and a woman—should remain unchanged, among other questions concerning same-sex couples. Despite the fact that an estimated 71% of Taiwanese citizens actually support marriage equality, a majority of voters sided with the anti-equality platforms from conservative groups.
The referenda come more than a year after Taiwan's high court ruled in favor of marriage equality, establishing that laws barring same-sex couples from tying the knot were discriminatory and unconstitutional. Though the ruling was a step in the right direction, the ball fell in the court of Taiwan's legislature to either amend the nation's civil code or pass a new law enabling same-sex couples to wed.
Although the results of the vote on the referenda seem to have prohibited Taiwan's parliament from amending the formal definition of marriage, authorities are still expected to pass a new law in line with the court's 2017 decision.
However, the discrepancy between the court's ruling and the public's opinion has prompted some serious confusion: Taiwanese legal experts are split on whether the country's administration is actually required to incorporate these results into the law—and queer activists worry that the resulting legislation will be weakened by the public's disapproval.
One correspondent told BBC that this means gay couples could gain legal protections, but technically still be barred from marrying.
In a statement to CNN, Amnesty International Taiwan's acting director Annie Huang called the results of this weekend's vote "a bitter blow and a step backwards for human rights" in the Asian nation.