Taiwan appears set to become the first place in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage.
Taiwanese MPs are currently working on three bills in support of marriage equality, one of which is already listed for review and could be passed within months.
Same-sex marriage also has the prominent support of President Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan's first female head of state.
About 80 per cent of Taiwanese between ages 20 and 29 support same-sex marriage, said Tseng Yen-jung, spokeswoman for the group Taiwan LGBT Family Rights Advocacy , citing local university studies.
Taiwan's United Daily News found in a survey taken four years ago that 55 per cent of the public supported same-sex marriage, with 37 per cent opposed.
That's seen as a reflection of Taiwan's ready acceptance of multi-party democracy and other inclusive attitudes, as well as the fact that Taiwan's 23 million people largely follow Buddhism and traditional Chinese religions that take no strong positions on sexual orientation or gay marriage.
Still, same-sex marriage still had to overcome traditional perceptions of gender roles and the strong pressure on children to marry and have kids.
The self-ruled island also lacks many openly gay and lesbian celebrities to lead the way; the writer and television talk show host Kevin Tsai is among the few exceptions.
Taiwan would join Canada, Colombia, Ireland, the United States and 16 other countries that have legalized same-sex marriage over the past 15 years, according to the Washington, D.C.-based LGBT rights advocacy group Human Rights Campaign .
But it would be a notable exception among Asian and Middle Eastern countries, at least 20 of which continue to ban same-sex intercourse.
"It's a big step forward for the history of human rights," said Yu Mei-nu, a ruling Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker who is sponsoring the same-sex marriage bill now in line for parliamentary debate. "If Taiwan can get this passed ... it will give other Asian countries a model."
