By BTL Staff
TAIPEI-
Nearly 80 lesbian couples married in Taiwan's largest same-sex wedding ceremony on Aug. 20 at an event called "Barbie and Barbie's wedding." Organizers of the event hoped to convince Taiwan to become the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. The event attracted more than 1,000 supporters, friends, family and gawkers.
The ceremonies went smoothly, uninterrupted by police or protests. The couples received an unofficial certificate from event orgnanizers that certified their marriages.
"I feel very hopeful that Taiwan will legalize same-sex marriage soon," said one of the brides, 32-year-old stylist Celine Chen, according to global news agency AFP. Chen said she planned to honeymoon in New York.
Another woman, Carol Huang, told the AFP that the weddings "were fun but not real" and that she intends to legally marry her partner in a European country.
The AFP also reported that Taiwan is becoming more open-minded towards its homosexual population, and the island's gay rights groups last year said they had hosted Asia's biggest gay pride parade, with a turnout of 30,000.
