It was pouring rain on Saturday, but that didn't stop a group of around 100 people from gathering at Harvey Milk Plaza to rally for marriage equality in Taiwan.
According to organizer Even Cheng, the rally was part of a worldwide grassroots movement to bring same-sex marriage to the Asian nation. Simultaneous actions took place in Washington, D.C., Boston, New York, Minneapolis, and even Shanghai.
Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen, who took office in May, has spoken out in support of same-sex marriage, and bills that would legalize it are slowly moving through the country's legislative system. Were Taiwan to legalize same-sex marriage, it would likely be the first country in Asia to do so.
"We want to remind Tsai Ing-wen's government and the ruling party: Do not forget your campaign promise," Cheng told the crowd at Saturday's rally. "We stand here to show our love for our family, our friends, our coworkers, and the strangers, regardless of their faith and sexuality ... Let Taiwan become the first Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage."
Attendees were invited to take the microphone and share their personal stories with the group, in both English and Mandarin.
Jan and Ricardo, who have been a couple for five years, stood together at the rally, holding up an equality flag. Ricardo is Taiwanese, and the couple, who declined to give Hoodline their last names, would like to move there. But without the ability to get married, they can't. "This is important," Jan told us.
Anthony Marzo, who is American, attended the rally with his Taiwanese husband, Christopher Wenshen Pong, and their son, Christopher Marzo-Pong. "We had [Christopher] in Taiwan three days after he was born, and only got him [into the U.S.] at 11 months," Marzo told Hoodline. "It took us six extra months to bring him in because our relationship wasn't recognized. We couldn't adopt as a couple."
The couple opposes "separate but equal" domestic partnerships in Taiwan, and is pushing for full marriage rights.
"We lived through the push by opponents to same-sex marriage in California to force a separate domestic partnership law, which compromised same-sex couples' rights," Marzo said. "This cost our family thousands in extra tax dollars and tax benefits, undermined our family unit, encouraged discrimination, and forced us into second-class-citizen status until the Supreme Court found the law unconstitutional and discriminatory."
Despite the inclement weather, Cheng told Hoodline that he was happy with the event's turnout. "We had Taiwanese people and local San Franciscans, gays and straights, families with their children, groups of friends and couples," he said. "I feel very proud to be a part of this movement."
According to Cheng, it will likely take months for same-sex marriage legislation to make its way through Taiwan's Legislative Yuan, which is equivalent to our Congress. The Yuan will have its first reading in the Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee on December 26th, and the second reading will happen next spring or summer.
"Between now and then, we will continue making efforts to communicate to the people and win their support for marriage equality in Taiwan," he said, noting that the group is planning another rally for the second reading in the spring.
To stay abreast on San Francisco events in support of Taiwanese marriage equality, follow the group on Facebook. To network with people supporting marriage equality in Taiwan, contact the Taiwan TONGTHI (LGBT) Hotline Association.
