<p>Waving rainbow flags and shedding tears of joy, two Taiwanese same-sex couples tied the knot on Friday at a mass wedding hosted by the military in another landmark for Asia's LGBT community.</p>.<p>Taiwan is at the vanguard of the burgeoning gay rights movement in Asia and became the first place in the region to allow same-sex marriage in May 2019 after a bruising political fight.</p>.<p>Nearly 200 couples paraded at an army base in northern Taoyuan county before exchanging vows at an outdoor ceremony.</p>.<p>Among them were two Taiwanese female soldiers and their civilian same-sex partners, a first for the island's armed forces which regularly hosts mass weddings for staff.</p>.<p>"This is another big step forward for the military," Lieutenant Chen Ying-hsuan, dressed in her army uniform, told reporters.</p>.<p>"I hope more same-sex couples can bravely stand out. The military is open and we are all equal in front of love," the 27-year-old added.</p>.<p><strong>Also read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/taiwan-same-sex-couples-to-join-military-wedding-for-first-time-907703.html" target="_blank">Taiwan same-sex couples to join military wedding for first time</a></strong></p>.<p>"Our love is no different than any heterosexual couple," beamed her 26-year-old bride Li Li-chen, dressed in a traditional white gown.</p>.<p>"We are here today in the hope that more same-sex couples will join the next (mass wedding)."</p>.<p>Major Wang Yi, 36 and her partner Yumi Meng waved rainbow flags as they posed for photos with family in front of an armoured vehicle.</p>.<p>"It's great to see the progress in the military," said Meng, 37, adding that she was "proud" her wife was a serving soldier.</p>.<p>Photos of the two couples went viral after they were posted on the army's Facebook page earlier this week, with congratulatory messages pouring from across Taiwan and beyond.</p>.<p>Three same-sex couples were planning to join a mass wedding hosted by the Navy and the Air Force last year, but they pulled out following huge media interest.</p>.<p>Taiwan was once blanketed in the martial authoritarianism of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, but in recent decades it has emerged as one of Asia's most vibrant liberal democracies.</p>.<p>In the last ten years, it has become increasingly progressive on gay rights with Taipei hosting by far Asia's largest annual pride parade.</p>.<p>Last year, Taiwan made history with the region's first legal gay weddings after parliament passed a same-sex marriage law with couples tying the knot in jubilant scenes broadcast around the world.</p>.<p>Over 4,000 couples have registered their marriages since the law took effect.</p>.<p>The island will hold its annual gay pride march on Saturday, with large crowds expected in one of the few places that have managed to successfully defeat the coronavirus pandemic.</p>.<p>But the issue has caused deep divisions on the island, especially among conservative religious groups and older generations.</p>.<p>President Tsai Ing-wen faced a backlash from some members of the Christian community after she encouraged people to join the pride march this year on her social media accounts.</p>.<p>Following her remarks, an annual prayer breakfast hosted by religious groups, which the Taiwanese president is normally invited to, was cancelled for the first time in 20 years.</p>.<p>Tsai supports gay rights and took a political risk at the time in pushing for same-sex equality.</p>.<p>But she was re-elected with a landslide in January.</p>.<p>Taiwanese LGBT groups held a smaller pride march in June -- the traditional pride month -- in solidarity with gay communities around the world who were unable to celebrate because of the pandemic.</p>.<p>While the gay marriage law was seen as a major success for the LGBT community in Taiwan, it still contains restrictions not faced by heterosexual couples, including for adoption and foreign marriages.</p>
<p>Waving rainbow flags and shedding tears of joy, two Taiwanese same-sex couples tied the knot on Friday at a mass wedding hosted by the military in another landmark for Asia's LGBT community.</p>.<p>Taiwan is at the vanguard of the burgeoning gay rights movement in Asia and became the first place in the region to allow same-sex marriage in May 2019 after a bruising political fight.</p>.<p>Nearly 200 couples paraded at an army base in northern Taoyuan county before exchanging vows at an outdoor ceremony.</p>.<p>Among them were two Taiwanese female soldiers and their civilian same-sex partners, a first for the island's armed forces which regularly hosts mass weddings for staff.</p>.<p>"This is another big step forward for the military," Lieutenant Chen Ying-hsuan, dressed in her army uniform, told reporters.</p>.<p>"I hope more same-sex couples can bravely stand out. The military is open and we are all equal in front of love," the 27-year-old added.</p>.<p><strong>Also read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/taiwan-same-sex-couples-to-join-military-wedding-for-first-time-907703.html" target="_blank">Taiwan same-sex couples to join military wedding for first time</a></strong></p>.<p>"Our love is no different than any heterosexual couple," beamed her 26-year-old bride Li Li-chen, dressed in a traditional white gown.</p>.<p>"We are here today in the hope that more same-sex couples will join the next (mass wedding)."</p>.<p>Major Wang Yi, 36 and her partner Yumi Meng waved rainbow flags as they posed for photos with family in front of an armoured vehicle.</p>.<p>"It's great to see the progress in the military," said Meng, 37, adding that she was "proud" her wife was a serving soldier.</p>.<p>Photos of the two couples went viral after they were posted on the army's Facebook page earlier this week, with congratulatory messages pouring from across Taiwan and beyond.</p>.<p>Three same-sex couples were planning to join a mass wedding hosted by the Navy and the Air Force last year, but they pulled out following huge media interest.</p>.<p>Taiwan was once blanketed in the martial authoritarianism of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, but in recent decades it has emerged as one of Asia's most vibrant liberal democracies.</p>.<p>In the last ten years, it has become increasingly progressive on gay rights with Taipei hosting by far Asia's largest annual pride parade.</p>.<p>Last year, Taiwan made history with the region's first legal gay weddings after parliament passed a same-sex marriage law with couples tying the knot in jubilant scenes broadcast around the world.</p>.<p>Over 4,000 couples have registered their marriages since the law took effect.</p>.<p>The island will hold its annual gay pride march on Saturday, with large crowds expected in one of the few places that have managed to successfully defeat the coronavirus pandemic.</p>.<p>But the issue has caused deep divisions on the island, especially among conservative religious groups and older generations.</p>.<p>President Tsai Ing-wen faced a backlash from some members of the Christian community after she encouraged people to join the pride march this year on her social media accounts.</p>.<p>Following her remarks, an annual prayer breakfast hosted by religious groups, which the Taiwanese president is normally invited to, was cancelled for the first time in 20 years.</p>.<p>Tsai supports gay rights and took a political risk at the time in pushing for same-sex equality.</p>.<p>But she was re-elected with a landslide in January.</p>.<p>Taiwanese LGBT groups held a smaller pride march in June -- the traditional pride month -- in solidarity with gay communities around the world who were unable to celebrate because of the pandemic.</p>.<p>While the gay marriage law was seen as a major success for the LGBT community in Taiwan, it still contains restrictions not faced by heterosexual couples, including for adoption and foreign marriages.</p>