Taiwan is the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage

The government of Taiwan has survived a last-ditch attempt by conservatives to water down landmark legislation to legalize same-sex marriage. The issue has highlighted bitter divisions on the island.

Lawmakers in Taiwan on Friday voted 66-27 in favor of a law permitting "exclusive permanent unions" for same-sex couples and to allow them to apply for a "marriage registration" with government agencies. 

The country's top court ruled in 2017 that preventing same-sex couples from getting married was unconstitutional. It gave the government two years to introduce appropriate legislation or see a marriage equality law enacted automatically. 

Divisive vote

Parliament had a deadline of May 24 to pass a law.Conservatives tried to remove references to marriage, proposing instead same-sex unions under another name.

The bill goes into effect after President Tsai Ing-wen passes it into law

Friday's vote comes as the gay rights movement in Asia gains momentum

Friday is also the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia

LGBT delight

The voting was accompanied by the presence of hundreds of gay rights supporters near the parliament, who hugged one another enthusiastically in the rain when the approval was announced.

The Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights said the vote meant Taiwan had successfully opened "a new page in history."

President Tsai Ing-wen hailed the vote in a tweet in which she called the decision a "big step towards true equality."

Conservative opposition

Conservative groups said the approval did not reflect the will of the people."The will of some 7 million people in the referendum has been trampled," one group, the Coalition for the Happiness of Our Next Generation said in a statement. "The massive public will strike back in 2020."

Taiwanese voters last year rejected same-sex marriage in a series of referendums.

What does the law mean? Friday's vote gives same-sex couples full marriage rights under law, including in matters such as taxation, insurance and child custody. Adoption rights for same-sex couples remain unclear, but they will not receive full parity with heterosexual couples under any version of the law, with at most biological adoptions under consideration.