Asia is home to four of the seven billion human beings in the world, and not one of the countries in the continent protects the right to same sex marriage.  (We should not say “give”, but protect.  It should have always been there.) In some less than enlightened countries, being LGBTQIA is still deemed a criminal act. Malaysia continues to enforce Victorian era British laws against “sodomy”.  Few Asian countries have pride parades like Taiwan did last weekend.

That may be about to change.  Taiwan’s ruling DPP government is proposing a bill to protect the right to same sex marriage.  This won’t affect me (I’m not the marrying kind) but for many others I know, it’s great news.

DPP lawmakers to propose same-sex marriage bill

Taipei, Oct. 24 (CNA) Ten legislators of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said Monday they will propose an amendment to the Civil Code that would legalize same-sex marriage.

Yu Mei-nu, a convener of the Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee who proposed the amendment, said the bill would change wording in the Civil Code to allow all people in a marriage to assume husband-and-wife obligations, hold parental rights and have an equal opportunity to adopt children.

The proposed amendment would change the description of those who make commitments to marry from the current “man and woman” (or male and female parties) to “the two parties” in Article 972 of the Civil Code.

The bill will also address the status of families, changing from “mother and father” to “two parents”.