Some 200,000 people flooded the streets of Taiwan's capital, Taipei, on Saturday, for the first pride parade since the self-ruled island began formally allowing same-sex marriage.

Taiwan has long hosted the largest pride marches in East Asia but the 2019 parade is particularly significant as it is the first since a law legalizing same-sex marriage was passed on May 24.

More than 2,150 same-sex couples have now married in Taiwan, government data shows.

Organizers said more than 200,000 people marched through the streets of Taipei, with many waving rainbow flags and signs reading "Good Neighbors," "Love" and "Diversity," to show support for gender and sexual diversity.

The parade was due to end in the evening outside the Presidential Office.

Asia's first gay weddings take place in Taiwan A landmark ruling Same-sex couples in Taiwan can now officially marry after the new law granting them full marriage rights came into effect on Friday, May 24. It was the culmination of a three-decade-long fight for equality. The wheels of marriage equality were set in motion in 2017 when the self-governing territory's constitutional court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage.

Asia's first gay weddings take place in Taiwan Waiting in line Registry offices in Taipei were packed as hundereds of couples seized the earliest opportunity to tie the knot on the day the new law came into effect. Rainbow flags were on display alongside stacks of government-issued, rainbow-themed registration forms.

Asia's first gay weddings take place in Taiwan Overcoming opposition The constitutional court gave the government two years to enact relevant legislation. But after the court ruling, conservative groups initiated a series of referendums last year and voters overwhelmingly backed the notion of defining marriage purely as a union between a man and a woman.

Asia's first gay weddings take place in Taiwan A vanguard of gay rights Polls show a majority of the Taiwanese population supports same-sex marriage. But the issue has also caused deep divisions on an island that remains staunchly conservative, especially outside of the cities and among the older generation. Still, Taiwan has a lively gay rights movement and is famed for an annual pride parade that showcases the vibrancy of its LGBT community.

Asia's first gay weddings take place in Taiwan Restrictions apply Full parity on adoption rights, however, is not included in the law, which still contains restrictions on same-sex couples that are not faced by heterosexual couples. Gay rights groups say they are willing to accept partial equality for now in the hopes of winning later legal battles over issues such as adoption, surrogacy and marrying foreigners.



President Tsai-Ing-wen and her ruling Democratic Progressive Party gave their support to the event.

"We hope you have your glad-rags on, because this year's celebration should be a special one after the passing of #SameSexMarriage legislation, with over 200,000 people expected to attend from all over the world!" Taiwan's Foreign Ministry wrote on its Facebook page.

Democratic Taiwan holds liberal values in a part of the world where homosexuality is still illegal in many countries.

Same-sex marriage remains illegal in Taiwan's giant neighbor, China, which claims Taiwan as its territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under Beijing's control.

law/mm (AFP, Reuters)

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.