In 2017, Taiwan’s constitutional court ruled in favor of marriage equality, to be applied in legislation within two years. This week, multiple referendums challenging the ruling passed in a disappointing setback for what has long been hailed as a beacon of progress in Asia.
Taiwanese LGBT+ rights activists have raised the possibility of a legal challenge in response to reports of irregularities in the referendum campaign, driven by anti-LGBT+ groups the Coalition for the Happiness of our Next Generation. There were over 2,000 of such reports, including campaigning in restricted areas on polling day.
“We’re disappointed but not surprised with the result due to the misinformation that was spread by our opponents against LGBT people in the run-up to the vote,” said Jennifer Lu, Marriage Equality Coalition Taiwan leader and recent Out Leadership summit speaker.
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