Being gay in taiwan
Written by Queer in the World.
Image credit: 一對兒女的爸 by Phil Wong 黄飛立 /Flickr, license CC BY-NC-ND
Definitely a step (or several!) off the beaten track, there’s plenty to be discovered in Taiwan, an island with a fascinating mix of Chinese, Japanese and Western influences and food that will keep your mouth watering for months afterwards.
Travellers here will find stunning landscapes, from sea cliffs, soaring mountains, clear blue Pacific waters and gravity-defying rock formations. There’s also Taipei, a bustling city with excellent infrastructure. Which brings us to the other interesting thing about Taiwan – its civil society and democracy (standing somewhat in contrast to its huge neighbour China with it’s more questionable LGBT rights).
With such a liberal society, Taiwan must be a wonderful place for gay travellers, right? It’s true that it is the most gay friendly nation in Asia. There’s a relatively open stance on LGBT rights in Taiwan and travellers certainly should feel comfortable visiting – not least because people are so welcoming they don’t really care about sexual
Human Rights
Why Taiwan is the Most Progressive Place for LGBTQ Rights in AsiaCurrent Challenges - Assisted Reproduction and Joint Adoption
With increased acceptance of same-sex marriage, Taiwan now faces new challenges in assisted reproduction and joint adoption. These topics remain in the media spotlight.
Currently, Taiwan's Assisted Reproduction Act only applies to heterosexual marriages, requiring couples applying for assisted reproductive technology to be married and have their spouse's consent, meaning lesbian and single women cannot legally use assisted reproductive technology.
The current law defines infertility as "unable to conceive after 12 months of organic intercourse," excluding the situation of "social infertility" faced by single women or same-sex couples.
For example, a lesbian woman wanting to conceive through assisted reproductive technology can freeze her eggs but cannot legally use these eggs for artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization under current regulations because her marriage is not covered by that law.
Single women face the same
Written by Queer in the World.
Image credit: Taipei city scape by Dave Hancock /Flickr, license CC BY
There are many fascinating places to verb in Taiwan and gay travellers should feel positive about travelling all around. Taiwanese people are among the most accepting and friendly folks around and would never want to make visitors to their country feel unwelcome. Mostly they just don’t tend about sexuality.
Of course, as with most places, attitudes are less progressive in more rural areas so travellers who are looking for more of a buzzing scene should head to the bigger cities rather than the countryside.
Taipei, as the capital, naturally has the biggest gay scene with a diverse gaybourhood and the aforementioned Pride. This is where gay travellers who fancy to be out in the open will feel most at home. Other big cities, namely Taichung and Kaohsiung, might not feel quite as liberal but still have adj LGBT scenes.
Once travellers start heading to other cities, like Tainan, they will find much less on offer in the form of flamb
Taiwan
Experiencing Taiwanese Food
Taiwanese cuisine knows many influences from Japanese and Chinese cuisine and many from specific (southern) Chinese regions. One of Taiwan&#x;s specialties is soup dumpling, Xiao Long Bao. These aren&#x;t just dumplings, because their skin is really thin and filled with tasty broth and meat, fish and/or vegetables. The original Xiao Long Bao comes from Shanghai, but the Taiwanese hold perfected the recipe. The top restaurant to eat the leading soup dumplings is Din Tai Fung. The original restaurant is located on Xinyi Road in Taipei. Another dish you must try is Taiwanese beef noodle soup! If you like eating street food, stinky tofu is a must-try. It&#x;s a strong-smelling fermented tofu, which you can find in night markets or food stalls on the streets. Another world-famous thing you can&#x;t miss in Taiwan: bubble tea. Since its invention in the s, it has become increasingly popular and you can now find it all over the world. It&#x;s a tea-based refreshment with milk, sugar (optional) and chewy tapioca pearls.