On May 17, Taiwan's legislature became the first in Asia ( by a vote of 66 to 27 ) to fully legalize same-sex unions.
The lawwhich allows for same-sex couples to apply for "marriage registration" as part of "exclusive permanent unions"came a week before Taiwan's codes barring same-sex marriage would have been automatically dropped by court order, The Washington Post noted.
In addition to recognizing same-sex marriages, the vote gives couples many of the tax, insurance and child-custody benefits available to opposite-sex married couples.
Thailand has proposed a law to recognize civil partnerships; however, same-sex unions remain illegal elsewhere in Asia. The Netherlands was the first country to recognize same-sex marriage, in 2001.
The full Post article is at Website Link Here .