Taiwan is one step closer to becoming the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage: on Wednesday, Taiwan’s highest court, the Council of Grand Justices, ruled it unconstitutional to bar same-sex couples from marriage. Taiwan’s parliament has two years to pass legislation–either an amended form of the current bill or a new measure altogether–to legalize same-sex marriage.

If the parliament fails to pass legislation, “two persons of the same sex who intend to create the said permanent union shall be allowed to have their marriage registration effectuated… by submitting a written document signed by two or more witnesses,” the 14-member court said.

Taiwan gay marriage supporters cry with joy after landmark Asian ruling pic.twitter.com/V2DhMFDyPq

— AFP news agency (@AFP) May 24, 2017

Taiwan has long been one of the more progressive spots in Asia: it has held a gay pride parade since 2003, and has a thriving LGBT community. But it wasn’t until the Democratic Progressive Party took power last year that marriage equality became a real possibility. President Tsai Ing-wen has expressed support for equal marriage rights, though she has been more subtle in her support in recent months.

In 2015, at Taipei’s gay pride parade, she said: “Every person should be able to look for love freely, and freely seek their own happiness.”

Last November, DPP lawmakers drafted three bills that would have legalized same-sex marriage. Those bills have stalled in recent months, after protests against gay marriage swelled. Despite stiff resistance from the conservative and religious sectors of Taiwanese society, a slim majority of citizens support same-sex marriage. One poll from 2013 found that 53 percent of Taiwanese citizens favor marriage equality.

Well done Taiwan, we needed some good news ️‍ #loveislove pic.twitter.com/mPiDLt7Wgp

— meg is seeing h (@stylesrichonne) May 24, 2017

The court’s ruling was in response to two cases: one request was filed by veteran gay rights activist, Chi Chia-wei, the other by Taipei city officials. Progressive lawmakers in Taiwan cheered the court’s decision.

Yu Mei-nu, a DPP lawmaker, called it “a step forward in the history of Taiwan’s same-sex marriage.” She added: “I hope that the legislators will have the moral courage to pass same-sex marriage into law, however it is hard to predict how long it will take, at this moment…The opposition toward gay marriage in Taiwan won’t just gladly accept it and give up the debate, so the debate will continue.”

Alec Siegel

Alec Siegel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. When he’s not working at Law Street he’s either cooking a mediocre tofu dish or enjoying a run in the woods. His passions include: gooey chocolate chips, black coffee, mountains, the Animal Kingdom in general, and John Lennon. Baklava is his achilles heel. Contact Alec at ASiegel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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The controversial phone call last week between President-elect Donald Trump and the President of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, was no inexperienced blunder. In fact, it was the conclusion of a six-month effort from Taiwanese officials to inch closer to Trump and his staff, an effort that received an assist from an unlikely figure in U.S. politics: Bob Dole.

According to documents filed with the Justice Department before the call took place, Alston & Bird, the Washington D.C. law firm Dole lobbies for, had been coordinating communications between Taiwan and the Trump team since May. Working as the U.S. representative for Taiwan’s unofficial embassy, Dole worked behind the scenes, nudging Taiwan closer and closer to Trump and his circle.

Dole, the Republican opponent to Bill Clinton in the 1996 presidential election, helped secure a Taiwanese delegation to attend the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in July.

An entire paragraph dedicated to Taiwan was also included in the Republican Party’s platform this year that said: “We salute the people of Taiwan, with whom we share the values of democracy, human rights, a free market economy, and the rule of law.” This friendly language was also the result of an assist from Dole.

“They’re very optimistic,” Dole said of the Taiwanese in an interview with The New York Times. “They see a new president, a Republican, and they’d like to develop a closer relationship.”

Republicans have long pushed for warmer U.S.-Taiwan relations, which, since the 1979 One China policy, have been diplomatically stagnant. The U.S. does sell Taiwan military equipment, however, and promotes its democratic ideals.

Last week, Trump broke with nearly four decades of protocol by holding a phone conversation with Taiwan’s president–Chinese officials called the move “petty.” China considers Taiwan a breakaway province, and the U.S. recognized China’s claim in 1979, severing formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

Dole, who is 93 years old, has lobbied on behalf of Taiwan for nearly 20 years. Between May to October of this year, Dole made $140,000 for his efforts, according to the disclosure documents filed by Alston & Bird.

“It’s fair to say that we had some influence,” Dole said, referring to the Trump-Tsai call. “When you represent a client and they make requests, you’re supposed to respond.”

Alec Siegel

Alec Siegel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. When he’s not working at Law Street he’s either cooking a mediocre tofu dish or enjoying a run in the woods. His passions include: gooey chocolate chips, black coffee, mountains, the Animal Kingdom in general, and John Lennon. Baklava is his achilles heel. Contact Alec at ASiegel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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In a reversal of 37 years of protocol, President-elect Donald Trump engaged in a telephone conversation on Friday with Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen. The Trump team painted the 10-minute call as nothing more nefarious than a simple congratulatory gesture from one leader to another.

“He took the call, accepted her congratulations and good wishes and it was precisely that,” Vice President-elect Mike Pence said Sunday on ABC. China said the call was “petty,” but nothing too damaging. But was the call–which some advisors have said was months in the making–a foreshadowing of the coming shift in the U.S. relationship with China and Taiwan under the Trump Administration?

The President of Taiwan CALLED ME today to wish me congratulations on winning the Presidency. Thank you!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 3, 2016

The decision to engage with Taiwan’s president was hardly spontaneous, but was a calculated and planned move, advisors to Trump and people familiar with the plans told The Washington Post. A spokesman for the Taiwan government told Reuters, “of course both sides agreed ahead of time before making contact.”

Since 1979, under President Jimmy Carter, the U.S. has maintained an economic relationship with Taiwan (mostly selling it arms), but not a diplomatic one, honoring the so-called “One China” policy that recognized the tiny island as a part of China. China considers Taiwan to be a breakaway province.

Trump, who for months has called China a “currency manipulator,” has signaled he will be taking a tougher stance on the country. Trump challenged the “One China” policy by taking a call with Taiwan, and by referring to Tsai as “the President of Taiwan.” China refers to the president of Taiwan as “the Taiwan regional leader.” Earlier this year, China severed diplomatic relations with Tsai, who was elected in January, because of her pro-independence bent.

Interesting how the U.S. sells Taiwan billions of dollars of military equipment but I should not accept a congratulatory call.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 3, 2016

An op-ed published Saturday in China’s state-run publication China Daily said the call was “a striking move but it does not bear the same importance as it seems to be.” It said that for Tsai, the phone call will “bring nothing substantial but illusionary pride.” But for the U.S., the move could signal a tougher stance on China, and an opening to Taiwan. Republicans have long expressed the need for a stronger U.S.-Taiwan relationship, coinciding with a need to be tougher on China, a key U.S. trading partner that Trump has threatened to clamp down on.

But for the time being at least, the U.S.-China relationship remains strong, and Trump’s team sought to reassure both governments of that in the days after the feather-ruffling phone call. “All [Trump] did was receive a phone call,” Trump’s advisor Kellyanne Conway said on Sunday. “Everybody should just calm down. He’s aware of what our nation’s policy is.”

Alec Siegel

Alec Siegel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. When he’s not working at Law Street he’s either cooking a mediocre tofu dish or enjoying a run in the woods. His passions include: gooey chocolate chips, black coffee, mountains, the Animal Kingdom in general, and John Lennon. Baklava is his achilles heel. Contact Alec at ASiegel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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