Taiwan’s first same-sex wedding held at Buddhist Monastery

Taiwan’s first same-sex Buddhist wedding sets an international precedent and may help the country become the first in Asia to legalize marriage equality.

Among those to hail the ceremony’s significance was Shih Chao-hui, the female Buddhist master who presided over the ritual in a northern Taiwan monastery. “We are witnessing history,” Shih said. “The two women are willing to stand out and fight for their fate… to overcome social discrimination.”

Chih Chun, a Buddhist nun who attended the ceremony, echoed those sentiments. “They can choose freely to get married and we should respect them…it makes no difference if couples are heterosexual or homosexual, as long as they are in love and they are happy.”

A landmark bill to legalize same-sex marriage in Taiwan has been pending since 2003. While no Asian nations have legalized marriage equality yet, there have been signs of progress in Vietnam and Nepal, among others.

[via Huffington Post]