Taiwan registers its first cross-strait same-sex marriage

In a historic move for marriage equality, Kaohsiung City registered Taiwan’s first cross-strait same-sex marriage on Tuesday. The couple, Ryan, 38, from Kaohsiung, and Righ, 48, from Beijing, were able to formalize their union following a recent policy change by Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC).

About the couple: The couple, who married in the U.S. in 2019, completed their registration following an interview with the National Immigration Agency, which confirmed the legitimacy of their marriage and that Righ posed no security risks. Despite being legally married in the U.S., they had faced significant challenges due to Taiwan and China’s complex political relationship. “It actually feels very unreal, finally winning this moment, because we have been waiting for a long time,” Ryan told Kyodo News.
How it happened: The MAC began to allow cross-strait same-sex couples to register their third-country marriages in Taiwan last month. This new policy applies the same rules that previously only allowed cross-strait heterosexual marriages to be formalized. Kaohsiung, on its own, was the first city in Taiwan to allow same-sex marriage registrations in 2014.
Why it matters: The change brings Taiwan closer to full marriage equality following its historic legalization of same-sex marriage in 2019. “We hope that marriage equality will be implemented in the near future, and (people in) Taiwan can marry anyone in the world equally in the same way,” Ryan added.

Share this Article