International couple challenges Taiwan’s same-sex marriage law

A same-sex couple whose marriage registration has been rejected twice in Taiwan is fighting back.

Challenging Taiwan’s same-sex law: The pair, 34-year-old Taiwanese man Lu Yin-jen and his 42-year-old Japanese partner Ariyoshi Eizaburo, is planning to file a lawsuit against the Taipei municipal government on Thursday for refusing to accept their marriage registration, reported NHK World.

While Taiwan’s parliament legalized same-sex marriage in 2019, it still prohibits marriages that involve one person who is from a country where same-sex marriage is still illegal.
Ariyoshi and Lu said they just want their marriage registration to be accepted. According to NHK World, “all they are asking is to be recognized as a family.”
The lawsuit marks the first time a Japanese person will oppose Taiwan’s rules, said the pair’s lawyer.
“Suppose my husband or I get sick and end up in the hospital. We may not be allowed to be at one other’s side just because we are not married,” Ariyoshi lamented. “I’m deeply concerned when I think about such a situation.”
The success of the couple’s case could spark a significant change that could allow more international LGBTQ couples to get married in Taiwan.

Same-sex unions in Japan: While Japan remains the only G7 country where same-sex marriages are still prohibited, Tokyo’s local government is planning to introduce “same-sex partnership” in April 2022, according to CNN.

Earlier this month, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike announced that the proposed system will give same-sex couples in the capital some of the same rights as those found heterosexual marriages.
A similar plan has already been introduced in some local municipalities and local wards in Tokyo.
In 2017, Sapporo became the first major city in Japan to officially recognize same-sex relationships, as NextShark previously reported.
In March, a Sapporo court made a ground-breaking ruling that deemed it “unconstitutional” for same-sex couples to not be allowed to marry.

Featured Image via VICE Asia

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