Two Taiwanese soldiers and their civilian same-sex partners will tie the knot at a mass wedding hosted by the military on Friday in another gay rights landmark in Asia.
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.
The armed forces regularly put on mass weddings for staff, and the ceremony to be held on Friday will see two same sex-couples taking part—a first for the military.
“Our country … has become the first in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage and the ministry gives its blessings to same-sex servicemen who are getting married,” it said in a statement.
Photos of the two couples were posted on the army’s Facebook page.
They both showed soldiers in uniforms with their partners donning traditional Qipao dresses that Taiwanese brides often wear for weddings.
The post quickly went viral with over 25,000 “likes” under one of the photos and congratulatory messages pouring in.
