Taiwan's top court has made a landmark ruling in favour of same-sex marriage, paving the way for being first in Asia to do so.
The panel of judges has given the island's parliament, known as the Legislative Yuan, two years to amend or enact new laws, which could potentially make Taiwan the first place in Asia to allow same-sex marriage.
The ruling, reported by the BBC, comes after a growing momentum behind the push for equal marriage rights on the island.
Conservatives however, staged mass rallies against a change in the law as the debate divides society.
Taiwan's pioneering gay rights campaigner, Chi Chia-wei, is one of the petitioners who has brought the case to the constitutional court.
After 30 years of activism, Chi, 59, told AFP he was "100 per cent confident" the ruling will go in his favour.
He urged the judges to allow gay couples to register to marry the next day if they approve a change in the law, rather than giving the government a longer timeframe to implement the decision.
At the heart of the case is a clause in Taiwan's Civil Code that an agreement to marry should be made between a man and a woman.
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Taiwan is seen as one of the most progressive societies in Asia when it comes to gay rights, and momentum has been gathering since President Tsai Ing-wen -- who has openly supported marriage equality -- came to power last May.
The legislature has also made more progress than ever, with proposals to amend the Civil Code, passing the first reading in December.
However, as well as huge pro-gay marriage rallies, hundreds of thousands have gathered to demonstrate against legalising same-sex unions.
Conservative and religious groups in Taiwan say that it would destroy family values.
(With inputs from PTI)
