Fridae

Both wearing white bridal gowns, Fish Huang and her partner You Ya-ting said their wedding vows and were blessed by Buddhist Master Shih Chao-hwei at a Buddhist monastery in Guanyin Township (觀音), Taoyuan County on Saturday. 

News and photos of the ceremony were widely reported by the media in Taiwan and across Asia on Sunday. 

Media reports noted that the pair, who are both aged 30 and has been in a relationship for seven years, exchanged prayer beads rather than rings as nearly 300 Buddhists chanted sutras to seek blessings for the couple. 

Shih Chao-hui, a female Buddhist master who presided over the ritual, hailed it as a historic moment. 

The Taipei Times quoted Shih as saying: "We are witnessing history. The two women are willing to stand out and fight for their fate... to overcome social discrimination," said Shih, a well-known advocate for social justice. 

"Some people might find it astounding (a woman performing the ceremony) but Buddhism does not engage in ideological struggles and I am used to strange looks from my own experience in the social movement," she said. 

The report also noted that the absence of the couple's parents at the ceremony to be "an indication of the pressure facing some homosexuals and their families." 

"Our parents initially agreed to attend and they regret that they couldn't be here. We understand that people have different acceptance of media exposure and we want to give them more space," the Times quoted Huang as saying shortly before the wedding.

"We hope with the master's support, the wedding will change many people's perspective even though it is not legally binding," said the social worker. "We hope the government can legalise same-sex marriage soon."

Huang added that they decided to have a Buddhist wedding because they are Buddhists and since around 80 percent of the population are more or less Buddhist, they hoped a wedding blessed by a Buddhist master would help change society’s views about same-sex marriage.

In a report about the wedding, AFP also noted that as early as 2003, Taiwan's cabinet had drafted a controversial bill to legalise same-sex marriage and allow homosexual couples to adopt children. However, President Ma Ying-jeou has said public consensus was needed before the government can move ahead with the law. Gay rights groups drafted a new bill earlier this year and urged Ma to push for its legislation before his term ends in 2016.