Gay Star News, an online news site, also released an article in 2012, “Why is Taiwan the best place to be gay in Asia?” in which it lauded our friendliness to homosexuals. In October, the New York Times published a report, “For Asia’s gays, Taiwan stands out as beacon,” praising our open society. Taiwan is relatively friendly to LGBT people compared to most Asian countries. Pop diva Jolin Tsai, right, kisses actress Ruby Lin in the music video of her new song, entitled We’re All Different, Yet The Same, to express her support for marriage equality. In 2001, the Netherlands became the world’s first country to legalize same-sex marriage. The world’s top three LGBT-friendly countries are the Netherlands, Iceland and Canada, where same-sex marriage is legally recognized. The poll, conducted in 123 countries last year and released this year, saw 28 percent of respondents saying that their city or area is a “good place” for gays and lesbians to live. Taiwan ranks second among all Asian countries surveyed, behind the Philippines, which is listed as the world’s 22nd most LGBT-friendly country. Thirty-nine percent of respondents say the country is welcoming, while 42 percent say that it isn’t. And though challenges remain - Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lu Hsueh-chang's (呂學樟) remarks on Monday at the Legislative Yuan that homosexuals are “scary” and that legalizing same-sex marriage is encouraging “bestiality” are just the latest example - positive signs have emerged for the LGBT community this year.Īccording to a survey by Gallup Inc, Taiwan was listed as the world’s 39th most LGBT-friendly country.
As the year draws to an end, Taipei Watcher would like to thank readers for your support, as this columnist strives to raise awareness of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues and the various challenges facing them.