A two-day international conference on LGBTI rights opened in Taipei on Thursday, with the participants discussing ways of building societies that are open to gender diversity. More than 250 scholars, activists, representatives of non-governmental organizations, and government officials from Taiwan and the European Union are examining the challenges to LGBTI rights, at the 2019 EU-Taiwan LGBTI Human Rights Conference.

"Through discussions, we'd like to know more about the current status and challenges in different regions in relation to gender equality and human rights protection, so that we can learn from each other and jointly promote gender diversity internationally," Taiwan's Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) said at the opening ceremony.

Chen said Taiwan had a difficult journey on the road to becoming the first Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage. The passage of the same-sex marriage bill in May was a "strong testament to Taiwan's 23 million people's kindness, and their willingness to respect different ways of life and to ensure equal treatment for all," he said.

Taiwan has also launched education programs to help achieve acceptance and better understanding of its LGBTI community, Chen said. The goal is to create a more inclusive society that does not discriminate against others on the basis of gender or sexual orientation, he said.

Also speaking at the opening, Filip Grzegorzewski, head of the European Economic and Trade Office (EETO) in Taipei, said the legalization of same-sex marriage in Taiwan was a demonstration of the political will of the government and lawmakers and the efforts of human rights advocates. Read more via Focus Taiwan