KUALA LUMPUR: A gay couple in Taiwan announced on Wednesday that they would withdraw their case against the government after they were refused to register their marriage in the small conservative East Asian country. The case had seen optimism by the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in the region as a potential litmus test for the continent in giving gay people equal rights. Chen Ching-hsueh and his partner Kao Chih-wei filed a complaint with the Taipei Administrative Court in 2011 against a government agency that turned them away when they tried to register their marriage. Explaining their decision, Chen said he had “lost his faith in the judiciary” after the court failed to either make its own decision or to pass the case on to the Grand Justices, the island's top judicial body. “We want to maintain our dignity and this is our only choice. We may be small and unable to change the judicial system, but at least we can show courage by being ourselves,” Chen told reporters. Chen said earlier this month that he had received death threats and offensive comments on his Facebook page, including one Facebook message telling him his parents would die, which had prompted him to consider withdrawing the case. Rights groups downplayed the impact of the decision to give up the case, which had been described as a potential milestone that could pave the way for Taiwan to become the first society in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. There have been positives in the country toward greater tolerance of the LGBT community. Last July, two Taiwanese women will be the first gay couple to have a Buddhist wedding as they push on with their effort to legalize same-sex marriages in the country. “We are not only doing it for ourselves, but also for other gays and lesbians," said Fish Huang in a telephone interview with CNA. For the 30-year-old NGO social worker, marriage crept into her mind after watching a film about a lesbian couple faced with denial of spousal benefits and the death of one of them last year. “It's so sad," said Huang. She plans to wed her partner of seven years on August 11 at a Buddhist altar in Taoyuan County in northern Taiwan. The LGBT community in Taiwan is optimistic that the move will help spur the government toward equality for the gay community. “We are definitely hopeful about the couples' wedding and it could be a great moment for Taiwan in getting equal rights on the table for all people," Taiwanese lesbian Nok Shuen told Bikyanews.com after hearing the announcement. The couple said they would wear traditional white dresses for the ceremony. The first gay wedding in Taiwan took place in 1996, but no such ceremony has been held in a Buddhist temple. BN
