“Act for Implementation of J.Y. Interpretation No. 748” was passed by Legislature on 2019/5/17, announced by the President on 5/22, and took effect on 2019/5/24.
The act allow two persons of the same sex to register their marriages, create a permanent union of intimate and exclusive nature for the committed purpose of managing a life together.
The act followed both Judicial Yuan Constitutional Interpretation No. 748 and the results of the national referendum which agreed “to protect the rights of the two same-sex persons to create a permanent union in a form other than marriage of Civil Code.”
The act regulate the property effectiveness, cancellation methods, adoption, inheritance rights, maintenance obligations, and other legal rights and obligations.
At present, gay or lesbian couples can only adopt the biological children of their partners, cannot adopt the children adopted by their partners before marriage, and cannot jointly adopt third-party children after marriage.
From discussion, research to deliberation, after countless discussions and compromises, the Executive Yuan and the Legislative Yuan overcame various difficulties, wrote a new page in the history of human rights, and made Taiwan the first country to complete the marriage legislation in Asia. It is also an important example on dealing with the divergent issues in our democratic society. We hope that all walks of life can embrace each other, respect differences, and maintain a peaceful and progressive country and society. We also expect our partners who live and work together in this land love each other.