Court ruling sets Taiwan on path to become first in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage

After a landmark court ruling, Taiwan is now in a position to become the first place in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage.

On May 24, Taiwan's Constitutional Court ruled that the current laws stating that marriage is between a man and a woman are unconstitutional and that same-sex couples have the legal right to get married. This legal milestone comes after years of campaigning by LGBT activists in Taiwan who celebrated the announcement.

Taiwan's parliament, the Legislative Yuan, now has two years to amend or enact new legislation.

The president of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen (who is Taiwan's first female president), and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party have previously expressed support for marriage equality.

The news arrives just after two men in Indonesia were publicly caned 83 times in public on May 23 as punishment for engaging in same-sex sexual activity in the country's Aceh province, which follows Islamic law.

The two men, aged 20 and 23 years old, were exposed by neighbours who barged into their apartment and filmed them naked.