Shane Lin (left) and Marc Yuan kiss outside the Household Registration Office in Shinyi district in Taipei after becoming one of the first gay couples to marry in Taiwan. Photograph: Sam Yeh/AFP/Getty Images

The first gay marriages in Asia was held in Taiwan

Taiwan made history last week by becoming the first in Asia to legalize gay marriage. Shane Lin and Marc Yuan were the first couples to arrive at a government office in Taipei. They dressed in matching suits and kissed in front of a huge media scrum before signing their marriage certificates.

This first official same-sex marriage wedding was held on Friday in a landmark for LGBT rights in Asia and the culmination of a three-decade fight for equality. However, the issue has also caused deep divisions on a conservative island outside the cities and among the older generations who have vowed to punish President Tsai Ing-wen and the supporting lawmakers who supported for the law at January’s election.

According to the local authorities, other 300 same-sex couples are expected to register on Friday. A veteran gay rights activist, Chi Chia-Wei, thinks that Friday’s weddings are the official ending of a three-decade-long fight to persuade governments to change the law. Chi was the one who petitioned Taiwan’s Constitutional Court leading to a 2017 judgment denying same-sex marriage was unconstitutional.

Chi told AFP that he is very happy that same-sex couples can be registered and lister as each other’s spouse, and he is honored to witness Friday’s marriage.